Once a Lifetime
by Dark Nuriko
Summary: A joint fic between JessEklom and me. A story about a pair of soulmates destined to run into eachother time and time again. But what if only one of the two remembers while the other is blissfully oblivious to the situation? 1x2 Complete
1. Prologue Duo POV

_**Once a Lifetime: Beginning**_

_By: Nuriko & Jess_

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters don't belong to me. Nor does the WISH story line, which inspired the beginning of this story. We write only for fun, so please don't sue.

Author's Note: This is only how the Once a Lifetime story idea came about. It started as this short story that I had no intention of continuing and soon became this grand story that I've began with Jess. This will give you an idea as to why Duo is how he is and why Heero isn't able to remember. This also gives you some insight on how to break this endless cycle. Enjoy.

_**Once a Lifetime: Beginning**By: Nuriko & Jess_

What is it about angels that make them so special? Why do they get the sunshine while we get the darkness? It always upsets me when I'm denied the pleasures of walking in daylight. Angels aren't deigned the night, so why are devils banished from the light of day?

A soft flutter of ebony wings alerts me to my servants return. A very handsome black crow that I've named Shi awaits my attention while I finish with my father's advisors, his black feathers shimmering with dark blue highlights in candlelight. It is only through him that I've seen the light of day. Too many devils believe it would be my death if I left the walls of my father's home. Even now, many of my father's people watch over me, making certain I don't slip off into the night.

With a graceful wave of my hand I stop their chatter and send them away. They always did annoy me even though I'd listen to their idle chatter with a smile. It disturbed them that a devil would listen to them with such a smile. Devils didn't smile as much as I did. It kept them off balance. Then again, my looks did as much for that as my smiles.

I had long chestnut brown hair that was usually kept in a braid that fell past my hips. That in itself was an oddity, due to almost all devils having black hair. Yet seeing as my mother was blond and my father had dark hair, it was a given that mine would be anything but black. My clothing kept to the traditional black, but I kept a bit of white around my collar to imitate a priest's collar. It drove many around me nuts, especially my father, but I didn't care. It was my violet eyes, though, that threw most off guard. Devils were known to either have red or black eyes. It seemed there was much that I went against. I wrapped my own black bat wings around my shoulders. Although they did look like bat wings, they actually felt like feathered wings, which all devils had. It was yet another oddity that I embodied.

"That will be all," I muttered, my voice light.

"You will attend the summit meeting, won't you, my lord?" An older devil questioned of me. I turned my open, violet gaze on him, causing him to flinch. They never got used to it, no matter how many times they saw it.

"Of course I will. Father would have my head if I didn't. Don't worry, I'll be there." Without another word, he left me alone; for which I was grateful. I turned my attention to Shi, wondering what my little servant had found out.

"Took them long enough, the old geezers," Shi said cockily, gaining a laugh from me.

"So what did you find out?" I asked, wondering if he had found out anything about what I had sent him to find out.

"What I found out is surprising," Shi began, a gleam coming into his beady black eyes. "They have been lying to you. The only thing that happens to a devil if he goes out in daylight is that they become a chibi version of themselves while the sun is up. That is, if they aren't masters of their own magic."

"I trained day and night to master my magic only to find out it isn't just to protect myself. I see they've been sneaky in their training methods. If I ever get my hands on those idiots, I'll show them why they call me Shinigami in battle!"

"Careful, master. You don't need those old geezers overhearing you. They might begin to wonder about your sanity." I laughed once more. My bright outlook on life already had them questioning my sanity. What was a little more proof to them? They already thought I was crazy.

"Then tonight, after them meeting with the Angel Masters, I shall visit an old friend and greet my first sunrise." Shi gave me a slightly worried look then.

"Are you certain, master Shinigami? Perhaps you should confront your father about what you've learned. Perhaps only you can not be out in daylight."

"Worrying about me already, Shi? If anything begins to burn I'll hide right away. So calm yourself." With that said I stood up and headed for the stables. I saddled my black stallion named Death (notice a pattern in names yet?) and headed for one of the few places I was now allowed to go besides my father's home. This was to be my first meeting with those that controlled heaven. If what I planned to do after the meeting was learned of, it could very well be my last.

The lush landscape at the bridge that joined both worlds was beyond my wildest dreams. It appeared sunny and bright despite the fact I knew otherwise. Shi stayed with Death while I headed to the area that made up the meeting area. Here, all magic was canceled. It was here that I lost my heart. I knew instantly that he had to be an Angel Master. He wore shimmering white robes and had breath-taking white wings. He instantly made me feel less than handsome; his dark chocolate hair seemed untamable while Prussian blue eyes as cold as ice seemed to stare at nothing. He really was a sight to behold.

My cousin entered then, his odd brown hair seeming to hide one of his forest green eyes as usual. It always did that. Perhaps Trowa couldn't stand his own unique eye color, I didn't know for certain. He was talking to the Angel Master of Earth, Quatre. I knew this from Trowa's many descriptions of him. Short, light blond hair with blue-green eyes, along with a deceptively frail looking body was what made up the Angel Master of Earth.

Behind them was the Angel Master of Fire, Wufei. His dark eyes and black hair pulled back into a ponytail, gave him away. They said he had a temper that rivaled his element. All of the Angel Masters wore white robes that seemed to shimmer, their wings just as iridescent. My cousin was all in black with wings as beautiful as any angels yet they were as black as ebony. The feathers seemed to reflect the light and gave off blue-green highlights.

"Heero!!" a suddenly annoying voice called, causing everyone but the one I admired to flinch. He simply seemed defeated, keeping his attention on Quatre and Trowa. Just then a longhaired angel with blue eyes rushed in. Her hair was a dark blond and her wings didn't seem as bright as the others. I instantly knew her as Relena, Angel Master of Water. She was rumored to sleep around. Seeing as Kami-sama had no one capable of taking her place, he ignored her indiscretions.

This left only one person my brooding Angel Master could be. Heero, Angel Master of Wind. It was rumored he never smiled. If that was so, then I wanted to break it. He was very handsome as is, but he'd be devastating if he'd only smile. I watched Relena attempt to drape herself over him; only to watch him slip away from her and take a seat beside Quatre and the head chair, effectively keeping her away from him. It seemed none of them had taken notice of me yet, for which I was grateful. It gave me time to watch them.

Trowa took a seat beside Wufei and across from Quatre. That left Relena to take the seat facing across from mine. Now that father was soon to retire that left his head chair open to myself. That wasn't something I looked foreword to, not really. Sighing softly, I watched, as my dream angel seemed to look around before speaking.

"Where is Kokuyo? He's never late," Heero questioned, his deep, monotone voice causing my heart to catch, and the mention of my father's name caught me off guard.

"As you recall, Kokuyo is retiring soon. His son, Duo, shall be taking his place. Kokuyo believes his son is ready for the responsibility, as well as wants to spend time with his wife, Hisui." Heero nodded his head while Quatre seemed to smile softly. My mother's name always brought smiles to peoples lips. Trowa seemed to handle detail duty very well. I was glad he'd be here helping me.

"I think its sweet he wished time with the one he loves," Quatre said in a soft, kind tone. I liked the blond male angel. He was very understanding.

"I think the same thing," I remarked, letting myself be seen, odd wings out behind me. I figured I might as well get the odd looks and stares over with. I wasn't disappointed, either. Quatre's bright eyes widened at the sight of me while Wufei and Relena's jaws dropped open. Trowa was used to the sight of me and simply graced me with an encouraging smile. Heero only raised an eyebrow in my direction, obviously unused to seeing a devil like me. I really couldn't blame any of them. I was unique, after all.

"Duo-sama, forgive my rudeness toward your appearance. I simply didn't realize you were there," Quatre said quickly, masking his surprise. As usual, Trowa was correct. Quatre was quick to defuse a situation.

"No need for apologies, or such formality. Father allowed you to call him by his name and I'd like to allow the same."

"Of course, Duo, thank you," Quatre answered with another smile. I allowed one of my own to answer his. I didn't miss the looks of surprise Quatre, Relena, and Wufei shared. Nor did I miss Heero's flicker of interest. Apparently Heero was not all ice.

"Shall we get to business?" Trowa questioned, his tone humorous.

"Of course," I agreed, looking foreword to many more meetings where I could see my Angel Master of Wind.

Years past and I was relieved to find sunlight wouldn't kill me. The priest I visited had enjoyed my child-like innocence when I watched the sunlit world come alive. Through these years, Heero and I had taken to meeting on Earth, the only other place besides the bridge where devils and angels could meet. He had loosened up majorly around me as well. Smiles were something I never had to wonder about because he always had one for me.

I had fallen for him, even more than I ever believed I could come to care for someone. Relena chased after Heero relentlessly, but Heero was always there when I needed him. It soon came to pass that I could no longer keep my feelings hidden. We met at the park we both loved; I dressed all in black and him all in white. We both wore jeans and tight fitting shirts.

"Heero, there's something I have to tell you. I don't want you to think differently of me after I tell you. I just need you to know." Heero looked at me with those eyes I had come to love.

"Duo, you're beating around the bush. What is it already? You know you can tell me anything." Drawing a deep breath, I looked into those cool eyes and blurted out what my heart was yelling at me to say.

"I've fallen in love with you. I've known since the first time I saw you, but it's grown for you over the years we've gotten to know each other." He stared at me for a long moment before doing the unexpected. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. It was like kissing daylight. His lips were warm and soft, passionate and caring. I could feel myself melting into him. A sudden screech broke us apart, my violet eyes wide. Relena was standing a few feet from us, her eyes glaring daggers at me.

"How could you!? You've passed me over for him?! A devil in place of an Angel Master?"

"I've never wanted you, Relena. I've loved Duo since the day I first saw his smile. Nothing will change that," Heero said, matter-of-factly. Relena glared daggers at both of us then. She then vanished in a circle of water. Neither of us wondered about what she had gone to do. We both knew God and Satan would soon be told of what we had done. Punishment wouldn't be as kind to us as they had been to my parents. Hisui and Kokuyo had gotten off easy enough, yet it was told that if devil and angel dared to mix again, there would be a steep punishment in tow.

It hadn't taken long for us to find out our punishment either. Seeing as both God and Satan had foreseen this, they made a deal. We would spend lifetimes trying to find each other. In each one, I would be destined to know our past while Heero would forget. We were soul mates, it was told, and there fore we had to find each other each lifetime or we would return to our prior lives, permanently locked away from the other.

Only when things mirrored our true lives would we get a chance to remain together forever in true happiness. Otherwise, we would loose each other within a year of finding the other. I wouldn't be allowed to know how to end the cycle or that of our first life together. This would fit my punishment, I would love him and be able to find him, but I could never tell him how we could end our torment. Sometimes, if fate were kind, then they'd allow Heero to remember me in his dreams. I hated our punishment but gloried in the fact we would someday be together. After all, I'd never allow our love to fail, not if I could help it. We would get our time together, this I swore, and then, I remembered nothing.


	2. Prologue Heero POV

Once a Lifetime: Beginning

By: Nuriko & Jess

Disclaimer: Gundam Wing and its characters don't belong to me. Nor does the WISH story line, which inspired the beginning of this story. We write only for fun, so please don't sue.

You'd think that an angel's life would be easy. You'd think that because of their very nature they would have no problems at all or that they simply were granted perfect lives where the only thing they required to be happy is simply... exist.

If that's the case, then you'd be sadly disappointed to find out our truth. We are just as miserable as humans if not more so. At least humans live a short life, and die. If they choose to be reborn, then the troubles of their past lives are over and done with and they get to start off with a clean slate. Those who choose to stay in heaven end up in a surreal existence. Their souls are stored by God and they get to live the rest of eternity in the happiest, most sickeningly sugary dream their feeble little minds can come up with.

If only angels were given the same treatment.

I am perhaps the iciest, cynical angel in the heavens. Why? Maybe its because we were created with the intent that we would be loyal slaves to God. Humans, though imperfect and granted short, meaningless life spans have one thing we angels do not: Freedom. This is where my malcontent started, and it is that which keeps me from smiling.

How can I be happy when everything I do is out of servitude to God? I'm not saying I'd like to disobey him, no that's not it. I just don't like the notion of eternal servitude. At least humans have a choice.

How ironic is it that the most unhappy angel holds one of the highest positions in the heavens? That's right. I am the "Perfect Angel". I do what I'm told but that doesn't mean I like it. I am Heero, Angel Master of Wind and the most powerful angel in existence, but I can't help but feel something is missing.

I sigh as I make my way to the bridge where the annual meeting with the daemons occurs. At first, I thought this place beautiful, but now it's dull. Everything is dull now. Perhaps that's why I don't smile any more. There's just no reason for me to live. Too bad angels can't commit suicide.

I see my peers coming to join me but I pay them no mind. First comes that little angel, Quatre. He's easily the sweetest of the Angel Masters, the Angel Master of Earth. For some reason, I get the feeling that sometimes he can sense what others feel. Maybe it's just because he's so perceptive, or maybe it's because he has an extra gift that the rest of us don't share. I never really cared enough to find out, and I still don't.

Next comes Wufei, Angel Master of Fire. Of all the angels, I think he and I are the most alike. Where I'm quiet and brooding, he's temperamental and fierce. His malcontent with the universe is the perverse sense of justice that God has. He also finds it unfair that humans with all their follies get to ultimately decide what they want for themselves. He calls it favoritism and that humans should count themselves lucky to be in such good graces with the almighty even if they don't deserve it. I can't help but agree.

My attention is caught by that daemon, Trowa. He's somewhere in Kokuyo's family.

I believe he's Kokuyo's nephew. Unlike most other daemons, he has bright green eyes, quite an oddity for them. As usual, he makes his way to Quatre and they begin talking. It's good to know that we don't jump at each other's throats, after all, daemons were once angels too. Or at least, the oldest ones were. Maybe I would have been happier as a daemon. At least they're already damned and there's not much more you can do to get on Satan's bad side.

"Heero!!" Damn that shrill voice.

I notice everyone cringes at the sound, I don't blame them. Finally the last Angel Master, Relena has decided to grace us with her presence. Unlike the rest of us, her wings- her general angelic glow has dulled. She likes to immerse herself in carnal pleasures with other angels and sleeping humans alike. The only reason her indiscretions haven't cost Relena her position is because there are no other angels who could replace her. Angel Master of Water, what a joke. Personally, I have a theory that she sleeps with His Glory himself. But then again, that's just speculation. I'd need hard proof to accuse her of that, and even if it was true, he's God, he can do what he wants!

The disgusting being is now trying to drape herself all over me, but I take my seat at the head angel chair, effectively providing space between us. I look around at our little group and notice something- or should I say someone- missing.

"Where is Kokuyo? He's never late," I question, I don't like to be kept waiting and furthermore, I don't like not knowing what's going on.

"As you recall, Kokuyo is retiring soon. His son, Duo, shall be taking his place. Kokuyo believes his son is ready for the responsibility. In addition, he wants to spend time with his wife, Hisui." It is the daemon, Trowa that answers me. I nod my assent and notice idly as Quatre smiles softly at him. It seems Trowa handles detail duty very well. At least this Duo would have some help.

"I think its sweet he wished time with the one he loves," Quatre says in a soft, kind tone. Just like him to look at the bright side; He is very understanding.

"I think the same thing," A new voice startles me. I don't like being startled. A figure steps out of the shadows on the other side of the bridge, odd wings out behind him. He is the oddest daemon I've ever laid eyes on. He is truly...magnificent. I can't help but stare at this creature. Unlike most daemons, he has bat wings and a long rope of chestnut hair braided down his back. Surprisingly, he's wearing a priest's collar which is a shock since they're supposed to be against the human institution of church since it gives them a bad name. But most stunning of all, are his eyes. They are the color of the purest,

most brilliant amethysts in creation, the likes never seen since the Garden of Eden. He is just incredible.

I notice as Quatre's bright eyes widen at the sight of him while Wufei and Relena's jaws drop open. Trowa is apparently used to the sight of him and simply graces him with an encouraging smile. I can't help but raise an eyebrow in his direction. Is he really a daemon? He looks more like an angel than a daemon. I don't like being surprised or caught off guard, but he is unique, after all.

"Duo-sama, forgive my rudeness toward your appearance. I simply didn't realize you were there," Quatre says quickly, masking his surprise. Ever quick to diffuse a situation, he naturally took the role of peacemaker.

"No need for apologies, or such formality. Father allowed you to call him by his name and I'd like to allow the same," says the new comer.

"Of course, Duo, thank you," Quatre answers him with another smile. My interest is piqued when I see this daemon answer Quatre's angelic smile with one of his own. All three of my companions share a surprised look but I ignore it. This...heavenly daemon is looking right at me with a mischievous sparkle in his amazing eyes. I try to be the iceberg that I am, but he seems to see through me.

"Shall we get to business?" Trowa questions his tone humorous. Why is he amused?

Is it because we're surprised to see such an odd looking daemon?

"Of course," Duo said. I silently agree, looking foreword to many more meetings where I could see my Heavenly Daemon Duo.

(Years into the future)

We've spent years together, Duo and I, and it was quite amusing to find out that Duo thought he'd die if he ever saw daylight. He'd go and visit a priest almost every day, which surprised me not only because going into a church didn't phase Duo, but by the fact that the priest either didn't mind or didn't know that Duo was a daemon. He has a smile for everyone and I can't help but wonder how I existed for so long with out him. In all my years of being an angel, I had never come across a person (angelic or otherwise) that could make me smile and even laugh. He is truly a find. If only he weren't a daemon!

I've fallen for him, even more than I ever believed I could come to care for someone. Relena chased after me with a single-mindedness that knew no bounds, but I've always been there for Duo when he needed me. After all, he wasn't strong enough to be his normal self in the light. It took hundreds of years to do that. I had to take care of my little Chibi-Duo. No wonder he made me laugh. I'm not immune to his child-like innocence and charm. I wish I could tell him how I feel. No. I WILL tell him, tonight. When we meet at the park we've both come to love.

I arrive with a gust of wind; I can't help the dramatics. He likes them, so I indulge him. He's sitting on a rock but gets up and walks to me when I make my appearance. For some reason he looks shy and nervous. What could have possibly happened to have my Duo so off balance?

"Heero, there's something I have to tell you. I don't want you to think differently of me after I tell you. I just need you to know." He looks so scared. As if what he has to tell me could shatter him. I don't want him to be so afraid and I want to tell him so, but my words come out sharper than I intended.

"Duo, you're beating around the bush. What is it already? You know you can tell me anything." He takes a deep breath and I look at those expressive amethyst eyes that have captured my heart.

"I've fallen in love with you. I've known since the first time I saw you, but it's grown for you over the years we've gotten to know each other." I'm frozen at his revelation. I didn't expect him to say this to me. This was what I'd come to tell him and here he was echoing my feelings. I can't help it. I pull him into a hug and kiss him with all I have in me. He is perfect. Those sweet lips give into mine and I feel like I'm back in heaven... only everything is different.

This is a heaven I had only dreamed of. I've never felt so good in my long existence.

A sudden screech breaks us apart; his violet eyes go wide. Relena is standing a few feet from us, her eyes glaring daggers at my Duo.

"How could you!? You've passed me over for him?! A daemon in place of an Angel Master?"

"I've never wanted you, Relena. I've loved Duo since the day I first saw his smile. Nothing will change that," I said, rather coolly, I might add. Relena glares daggers at both of us now and vanishes in a circle of water. Neither of us wonders about what she is going to do. Everyone knows God and Satan are firmly against what we've done. Punishment won't be as kind now as it has been in the past. Duo's parents are the only ones to have gotten off easy enough but if the case were ever repeated, the consequences would be dire indeed.

It doesn't take long for us to find out our punishment. Seeing as both God and Satan had foreseen this, they made a deal. We are going to spend lifetimes trying to find each other. Duo would remember us, but I would be left in the dark. We are soul mates but it will be up to him to bring us together. How ironic that I spent most of my eternity wishing to be human and now I will be. I'm worried though, if Duo doesn't find me, we'll both be lost forever.

Only when things mirrored our true lives would we get a chance to remain together forever in true happiness. Otherwise, we would loose each other within a year of finding the other. Neither of us would know how to break the cycle, and I hugged Duo one last time. Our punishment is great, but our love is greater.

"I love you, Koi." I tell him just as the spell is being recited for us to become human and forget about all this. "Don't give up on me."

He wraps his arms and wings around me, holding me close. "I'll find you. I'll find you over and over and over again until the cycle is broken. Remember me in your dreams. I love you."

I kiss him one last time. A bright light engulfs my vision and I can't feel him any more...Duo....


	3. Duo POV

_**Once a Lifetime**_

_By: Nuriko and JessEklom_

_Disclaimer:_ Gundam Wing does not belong to Jess or me, much to our everlasting regret. We are writing solely for fun, so please don't sue.

_Author's Note:_ This is a joint GW story that Jess and I will be writing. The main idea for the story though is mine. We will be writing between two different POV's. I will be handling Duo's while Jess does Heero's. Each chapter will indicate a POV change. Enjoy. Nuriko

_**Once a Lifetime**By: Nuriko & Jess_

_Chapter One; Duo POV:_

Sleeping was never something I was fond of. Especially after my current partner came into the picture. There were always dreams of times and places I didn't know. There were always dreams with HIM in them. He was my soul mate, my other half. He loved me no matter what gender, race, or religion I was. Sometimes, he was a she. It never mattered as long as we could be together. Although our names were different every lifetime, one thing remained constant, our looks. That was kept the same so that I could always find him; always know who he was.

His never perfect brown hair and Prussian blue eyes was always the first thing to strike my mind. After all, he was my one true love. Those features were locked in my mind and would never leave me. Always they're in my dreams so I wouldn't forget him. Many may think it odd that I can recall my past lives. I simply call it a Godsend. After all, that was what allowed me to find my one true love. The sad thing is that no matter how many times we tried to find each other, something always happened to ruin our happiness and separates us. So far, I have yet to be able to even spend an entire year with him. Perhaps that's why I can't bring myself to get too close to him in this time, though not for lack of it happening anyway.

In this particular lifetime, I'm a solider in a rather dark war. I fight using my street smarts and a special mobile suit called a Gundam named Deathscythe. I'm in charge of stealth and demolitions in this little group I'm apart of. The funny thing is, I'm only sixteen years old at this time. Looking across the expanse of our shared room in our current safe house, I watch my partner with shadowed violet eyes. I can tell they are shadowed by catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror across from the foot of my bed. I suppose I can't help it. Once again I find myself in love with my destined soul mate, yet am also at a loss. For in this time he is also a solider, a perfect solider. He has no time for things as frivolous as love. I've heard him tell me that at least a hundred times already.

What makes this all the more difficult is the fact that he's got absolutely no memory of our past? I'm trying to earn his love the hard way, starting from scratch each and every new lifetime. Needless to say, the princess of pink has made more leeway with him than I have, and that isn't something positive in my book. I know there is a very important reason why we must find each other each lifetime; I just can never seem to remember. Kind of makes me worry when in this time I feel like I'll never be able to win his love.

Oh, I've annoyed him to no end with my constant smiles, bright attitudes, and total disregard for the rules, but that's what made him love me all those other times. I wasn't about to change my attitude now, not when it was important for us to find one another. I guess the main reason I don't change is in the hopes that he will always be able to find me.

Noticing movement from his bed, I realize he's waking up. Pulling on my ever-cheerful expression, I grace his glaring Prussian blue eyes with a smile. They always had been the most amazing color I've ever seen. Always seeming to shimmer like ice, yet they could melt a room when in the heat of passion. As I watch his well-built body go through his morning routines, I recall one of our past times together, during a similar morning many years ago.

Flashback; Paris, France, 1618 A.D.

I watched lazily from the large king size bed as my husband of only a night so far began his daily routine. He was doing some kind of exercise in order to keep in shape, and oh what a wonderful shape it was. I allowed my eyes to run over his bare chest and followed his muscles as they strained under his movements. He was a very well made man for this time period. Then again, he always was.

"Love, came back to bed. I can give you a better work out than you could ever come up with," I said softly, gracing him with a seductive smile as well. I then allow the sheet covering me to fall slowly, revealing a sight I knew he couldn't refuse, especially if last night was any indication to how he reacted to the sight of my bare body. Then again, after last night, I knew that just a hint of invitation was all he would need to draw him to me. I wasn't far off either. Those blue eyes of his heated with desire as they took in every curve, every line. I made a rather beautiful woman; I had to admit. My long chestnut hair was loose and flowing around my shoulders, and my lips were still swollen from his wonderful kisses. He then stalked over to the bed and was soon above me, bringing passionate lips down to meet my own.

End Flashback

"Duo, are you even listening!?" he barked out, his face near mine as it had been in the past, gaining my attention and causing a flush to cross my cheeks. I knew he was nothing like himself of the past, but it always made my pulse jump whenever he got near me. I knew my cheeks were to warm not to show the blush to him but apparently he was ignoring it, for he returned to his ever-present laptop, ignoring me completely.

"Huh? Sorry Heero, what did you say?" I asked, drawing myself back into the present. He sighed as if he hated having to repeat himself before turning a dark glare on me.

"I said we have a mission. One that involves stealth and requires you to be very much a part of it." I smirked then, loving it when stealth missions came around. It was one of the reasons I loved this time so much. It allowed me to do some of the things I've only ever been able to dream of doing, although I have to admit being a U.S. Marshal with him at one point in time had been pretty thrilling as well.

"All right, when do we head out?" I asked, not failing to catch that annoyed look of his at my cheerfulness.

"We head out tonight. I suggest you make certain Deathsythe is in top form and then rest up." That said, I watched as Heero stood up and left, taking a piece of my heart with him as his hair fell into his eyes and made my fingers itch to brush them aside. I always did love that chocolate brown hair of his. It couldn't be tamed, no matter what time we were in.

Sighing I got to work. After all, this was just another day in the life of Duo Maxwell. One more day spent with the one I loved; one more day of memories of times long ago; one more night of torture to come. Man, sometimes it sucked being me.


	4. Heero POV

_**Once a Lifetime**By: Nuriko & Jess_

_Chapter Two; Heero POV:_

Why does that baka always stare at me? He always seems to be in his own world and gets this vacant look in his eyes when he's staring and as much as I hate to admit this to myself, it makes me uncomfortable.

He's staring at me right now. What _is_ it with him? I don't feel like being visually molested while in bed so I might as well get up and start my day. I know he'll stare at me anyway with that hungry gaze of his, but at least this way; a bed won't be equated into the picture.

I get up and go through my usual; morning routine of exercises while feeling his eyes burning a hole in my back. Stop looking at me, damn it! I get a strange feeling when you do that and I'm not programmed to feel. Quite the opposite, really. How am I supposed to function as a perfect soldier when bright eyes over there are sabotaging my system? Never mind that he doesn't realize it.

Just ignore him, 01. Ignore him like you always do. He'll be hurt that you're not paying attention to him and go away soon enough if you just give him the cold shoulder. The sooner the better.

I finish doing my exercises and head into the shower. It takes me all of five minutes to accomplish a satisfactory state of cleanliness and step out of the shower. I towel dry, brush my teeth, and realize that in my preoccupation with the braided idiot, I forgot to bring my clothes in to the shower with me. I step back into the room with only a towel around my waist, hoping that he's gone to get breakfast.

No, still in there... Looking over at Duo, it seems like he's still lost in his own world so I can dress in peace. Maybe he's actually a spy. Why else would the moron be staring at me night and day? No, that can't be right. He's too good a soldier to be given away that easily. Maybe he's just finally cracked. That would be a reason for his lack of connection to the real world. I'll keep an eye on him. He's very likely mentally unstable and a liability to us, to me. I should talk to G about having him committed if I find evidence that he's mentally incompetent. Right. Now how do I go about proving he's crazy?

"Duo?"

No response. Still catatonic. Might as well check my email for new missions and look up that crazy stuff online.

I go to the desk in our shared room and boot up my laptop. It's quiet in here but at least the idiot isn't talking my ear off. Too bad we haven't had any missions in a while. At least that keeps us both busy.

Okay.. Open email account... enter password.... Enter second password... and I'm in. Hmm ... what have we got here? Junk mail. Junk mail. Email from Relena- how does she manage to get my email address every time? If it's hacking skills, then she's really good and we could have used her during the war. What a waste of talent. I'll look into that later, at the moment, I've got an email from J and I can't wait to get in Wing. There's something about flying a twenty ton gundanium mobile suit at top speeds though the skies that just seems to soothe me in ways I can't even begin to describe.

Damn Duo and all that mushy stuff he's managed to cram into my subconscious. He should be considered illegal and highly dangerous... on second thought, he already is. Speaking of him, its time to wake Duo from his slumber.

"Duo, snap out of it. We have a mission," Perfect monotone voice, Check.

"Huh."

"It involves your... specialized... skills." Yuy Death Glareï, Check.

"Uh-huh."

"I'm going to be named Earth Sphere's most accomplished stripper in three hours then we're going to Trowa's circus where you and Relena are going to be married," that should get him.

"That's nice." Or maybe not...

I get into his personal space right in front of his face and yell, "Duo, are you even listening!?"

He jumps. I have his attention. Good. Is he blushing? I ignore it and him making my way back to my laptop. If he wants to know about the mission, he'll just have to ask me.

"Huh? Sorry Heero, what did you say?"

I sigh and give him my Death Glare I hate repeating myself.

"I said we have a mission. One that involves stealth and requires you to be very much a part of it." He smirks. I hate when he does that. It always gives me a little twinge? Yes that describes it. A twinge of emotion. I've yet to figure out said emotion, but that doesn't make me dislike it any less. The fact that it's there is upsetting enough.

"All right, when do we head out?" He asks cheerfully. Stop being so cheerful all the time. You're tampering with my programming and I won't allow that! I give him an annoyed look but it doesn't seem to faze him.

"We head out tonight. I suggest you make certain Deathsythe is in top form and then rest up." That said, I get up and leave. Stupid hair gets in my face and I resist the urge to brush it aside. It would be weakness on my part if my own _hair_ causes me distraction. Is it also weakness if someone else's hair is a distraction? Probably. That is another reason why I dislike being around Maxwell. He's a bloody distraction.


	5. Duo POV

_**Once a Lifetime**By: Nuriko & Jess_

_Chapter Three; Duo POV:_

After what I call one of my usual catnaps, I turn my attention to Deathscythe. In all honestly, I'd love to shout out to the heavens that he's the best out of all five, but I know in my heart that he isn't. Deathscythe has a fatal flaw; a pilot who refuses to use everything he comes with. I've yet to see every little thing G's done to him, especially after the upgrade from Deathscythe Hell to Deathscythe Hell Custom. G seems to think I'll take after the perfect solider and enjoy every little toy he adds to my Gundam. I happen to love Deathscythe to Hell and back, but I don't like how deadly he's become. I liked him better when there was just a jamming system and a single bladed thermal scythe, capable of operating under water.

I shake my head and clear my thoughts. No use thinking about old times that could get me killed if I'm not careful. I make certain my black outfit is as tight and dark as it ever could be. I like being reminded of the past. I were the priest-like shirt in honor of Father Maxwell, who would possibly be turning over in his grave if he knew what I was doing with his last name in tow. He'd possibly become very upset. He died preaching peace, after all.

I pull out my cross and stare at it a long time. This was my memento of Sister Helen. She was still alive when I happen upon her, more to my ever-present nightmares. She tried to tell me to be strong, to do what was right. Guess I'm failing a bit in both. I look toward Deathscythe and gracefully climb up and into the open cockpit. I leave the door open and catch my reflection in one of his many screens. A frown and slight tears rest in my eyes. That isn't me. Not any more; I can't allow that happy mask to fall. I can't.

"I can't," I whisper as tears slowly make their way down my cheeks without me allowing them to. I frown harder and quickly glance toward Heero. He's so busy on Wing Zero Custom that he'd never notice my little out of character moment. Leaning back in my seat, I give in to the pain that fills me and I cry. I cry for the mess my life's become, for the loss of such kind people who had been in my life, but most of all I cry for the loss of a love I'm slowly beginning to realize will never happen again.

Oh, I'm not stupid. I've watched Heero when he thinks I'm not paying any attention. I even now realize his words to me before he got in my face. That wasn't nice of him to say I was gonna be marrying Relena. That pink hazard can stay as far away from me in that department. Maybe if I told her I was gay she'd never come near me again. That's always a possibility. While I feel unchecked tears fall down my cheeks, I make the necessary adjustments to Deathscythe for this coming mission. Stupid tears have never stopped me before, not when Heero's life was in the balance. One of these days, I wish he could share just one of the many flashbacks of our life. Then maybe he'd ease up on me some. I'll only be able to take so much more before I either ask for another partner or turn and walk out without a second thought.

Soul mate or not, I refuse to be hurting this much any more. I can't stand his glares any more. I'm used to his cold blue eyes, I admit, but the glares are getting a little too much. I can't keep watching his glares and think things have a chance. I wish I could see what made him tick in this time like I could in the others. Then, maybe, I could do what I need to to win his heart.

"Yeah, right Maxwell, and the Princess of Pink will show up at your doorstep and tell you she's backing off. Keep dreaming and it might get a little easier." I sigh and move to adjust other things on my Deathscythe when suddenly Heero appears on my screen. Great, now he'll catch me crying. Will wonders never cease?

"Are you finished?" he asks coldly. I paste my smile into place; ignoring the fact that one last tear is still trailing down my cheeks. If he wants to comment or make fun of me for it, so be it. I didn't really care at the moment.

"Almost, 01. Just have to make certain my stealth mode is in working order and we can get moving. I take it you've just been waiting on me these last few minutes."

"No. . .I was adjusting things as well," he answered, his voice skipping slightly. I look up from my work and turn my now dark eyes toward him. Did he just stutter? What was up with the perfect solider? He just admitted to not being done and he also didn't get it out as clear as he always did. Did my tears make him that off balance? If that was the case, I'd have to hide them better otherwise he'd threaten to kill me over killing his perfect rhythm.

"Oh, then I'll finish things as quickly as possible so that you won't have to wait on little old me, 01. 02 out for the moment." This time, it was me who ended our communication. If he wanted to talk at all, I knew he'd come over and speak to me personally. He did it often enough when we were working on our Gundams that I think he didn't even realize it anymore. Only when he was near Wing Zero was he ever willing to talk to me. Some times it was foolish stuff that he'd wanted to get off his chest. Other times it was things I never thought he'd tell me, moments about his past.

I know it was only dew to his hidden fear that he wouldn't live to see tomorrow that made he talk before a mission. I never minded that, though. It gave me insight on him. Let me into that head of his he kept locked up tight and allowed me a glimpse of the man I had always loved. The person I wanted to hold in my arms and tell I loved still. I couldn't though. Not now or ever at this rate. Instead I wrapped my arms around myself, had one last cry, which consisted of two tears, and then went back to work. After all, boys don't cry, and I was a boy, wasn't I?


	6. Heero POV

_**Once a Lifetime**By: Nuriko & Jess_

_Chapter Four; Heero POV:_

There's nothing to do. Idle is not something I was trained to be so I very much dislike when there's a lull in missions like there is now. Well, at least that lull is coming to an end. All that's needed now is for Duo to wake up from his nap and get his Deathscythe ready.

Speak of the devil... Duo actually got up early from his afternoon nap... But there's something different. Does he actually look... contemplative? Yes. The baka actually looks like he's deep in thought rather than just spacey. Apparently, this peek behind the mask that is Duo's Grin catches me by surprise because I'm now tangled on some of Wing's internal wiring. Serves me right for not having closed the panel when I finished my tweaking.

I put the wires back in place and hit my head on my way back up to sit in my very comfy, very remodeled pilot seat. Who said I don't have a frivolous side? Bumping my head on that panel caused me to turn on the audio feed between Deathscythe and Wing. I swear, Duo was posing as a distraction and this sort of thing just cannot be tolerated. I sigh and reach over to turn off the audio link when I hear Duo's voice on the com-link.

"I can't." Why did Duo's voice sound like that? It sounded small and fragile...whom is he talking to any way and what can't he do?

"That wasn't nice of him to say I was gonna be marrying Relena. That pink hazard can stay as far away from me in that department." So he really was listening. Could have fooled me. Surprisingly though, I agree with the description... 'Pink Hazard' has a nice ring to it.

"One of these days, I wish he could share just one of the many flashbacks of our life. Then maybe he'd ease up on me some. I'll only be able to take so much more before I either ask for another partner or turn and walk out without a second thought."

What?

This is too weird even for Duo. Is he really as delusional as I thought? I really don't want to have to report the idiot. Sure, he's annoying beyond belief and a chatterbox at that, but who is supposed to replace Duo? None of the other pilots have his skills and I had enough trouble 'breaking him in' and whatnot and I don't feel like doing it again.

"Yeah, right Maxwell, and the Princess of Pink will show up at your doorstep and tell you she's backing off. Keep dreaming and it might get a little easier." Okay, enough. I don't like the way his voice sounds right now and I don't intend on listening to any more if his dribble. There is no room for distraction and I have to make sure I didn't break the audio dials when I hit my head.

"Are you finished?" I ask as I turn on the video feed. Call me what you will, but I had to know why his voice sounded like it did when he was talking to himself. I guess I sounded colder than I intended because he seemed to wince at it before plastering that infamous smile on his face. So much for the peek behind the grin. Still... there's something off....

"Almost, 01. Just have to make certain my stealth mode is in working order and we can get moving. I take it you've just been waiting on me these last few minutes."

"No. . .I was adjusting things as well," He's been crying. Duo never cries, at least not when he's awake and never with actual tears. By the look on his face, he knows I've been knocked off balance, but I'm not sure why that is any more... Is it because he thinks he has flashbacks of other lives that directly involve me or is it because he's been crying and I was a reason for it? I thought I'd never hurt an innocent again...Duo might be a gundam pilot like me, but he somehow still feels like an innocent.

"Oh, then I'll finish things as quickly as possible so that you won't have to wait on little old me, 01. 02 out for the moment." He cut the link. He never cuts the link like that on me. Obviously he was in a private moment and I unwittingly invaded upon it.

I sigh and look over my controls to see that I haven't messed up any more circuitry and lean back in my chair. All is well in my little sanctuary. Why is it that I have such a fascination for angels... more precisely, angel wings?

Not many people know this, but I was actually very juvenile and temperamental when my gundam was made. I wanted my gundam to have giant angel wings. I wanted them to be beautiful and... I don't know. I wanted them to be special. After a while, people - the ones working on Wing- started calling him 'the Winged Gundam' then it got shortened to 'Winged Gundam' and finally was dubbed 'Wing Gundam.' That was the only time J allowed me to be infantile. I guess it was because it had to do with my 'vocation' and 'tools of the trade'... the only other thing I was ever given was my laptop. Again, it was meant for my job, so I guess it doesn't really count.

I yawn... Duo's taking a little longer than I thought he would. Maybe a catnap isn't such a bad idea. I lean back in my nicely padded seat and relax. He'll wake me when he's ready to go.

--------- Dream ----------

Bat wings. Large black bat wings. Attached to them is a chibi-looking Duo, complete with chestnut braid. He's talking but no sound is heard.

Black bat wings. This time, they're attached to a human-sized Duo, laughing at something. Duo takes his hand and they fly over the earth.

Violet eyes flash. Faces begin to come into focus before fading into the darkness. Each face was beautiful and pale. The eyes all-varying shades of violet and amethyst. The hair always a varied shade of chestnut: in a bun, in a braid, in a ponytail, loose and cascading down the face's blurred body.

Sometimes the faces looked too feminine to be Duo, other times, too masculine. Over and over the faces changed, over and over the bodies morphed, but still... one thing remained the same...

-------------End of Dream------------

"Oi! Heero, are you ready or what?" Duo had activated the vid-link and was looking at Heero with an expression he couldn't place.

"Hn."

"I'll take that as a yes, Hee-chan!"

"Don't call me that." Why does that nickname always give me goose bumps? I try to remember why my dream was so disturbing, but everything's so hazy now. Why black bat wings? That's all I remember... that and violet eyes. Was I dreaming of Duo? I shake my head. Maybe his dementia is contagious and I've just contracted Duo's disease.

At the moment all that is unimportant. There's a mission at hand.


	7. Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter Five: Duo POV;

I stared into the security monitors and watched as Heero moved quietly through the halls. The guard who used to handle this job was unfortunately lying dead on the floor beside me. One of my many daggers had found his heart before he could find the alarm trigger. I took this time to admire Heero's features. He was built well in this time, a feast for the eyes one could say.

"02, is everything clear ahead?" his voice called quietly through the com-unit. How he managed to keep his monotone voice while whispering I will never know. I checked the other monitors, all showing the areas he was soon to travel through. It was when my eyes met the screen with the prisoner we were to break out that they widened and my language took a dive for the worse.

"Aww, shit," was my answer to his question.

"What?" he questioned, his voice a little upset at my break in professionalism.

"All clear, 01, but you won't like who it is we have to save. Remind me to kill both J and our rescuee when this is all over."

"Who?" Heero questioned, which was rare for him, but I didn't really care at the moment. I was still upset about J's failure to tell us who we were supposed to rescue. I knew I wasn't mistaken either. That was the only person being held at this place against their will.

"The princess of pink herself," I muttered before speaking up. "Relena's the one being held here. I'm assuming she's the main reason you were called in for such an otherwise simple job. The only reason I was needed was to get you in and out without any trouble." Spite filled my voice, I couldn't help it. I hated being used. Especially when I knew Relena would act as if I had no hand in her rescue.

"I see. Keep me updated if the all clear changes."

"Got it." I rolled my eyes as he finally reached her cell. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree as her eyes fell upon Heero and before I knew it she was in his arms. I could tell he didn't want her there, but admittedly she was tenacious.

"Heero, I knew you'd come for me!" she exclaimed, her voice full of tears, just like her eyes. Man, what a drama queen (Heh, queen. I made a funny). Her cell wasn't as bad as some of the ones Heero and I had been in over the years. I really couldn't stand her sometimes.

"We don't have time for this. We have to leave." I watched Heero push her away from himself and look toward the camera. "Diversion time, 02," Heero mouthed to me, knowing neither of us needed to listen to Relena complain about me at this moment.

"Diversion in progress, 01," I answered, pressing the detonator button for the bombs I had set earlier at the other side of the base. Heero and Relena took off the minute the bombs were heard. I kept watch, leading them out without incident. Once they were out of camera range, I stood up, preparing to slip out as smoothly as I had slipped in.

"Get out of there now, 02. Hostage is safe at the meeting point." I checked the screens once more, tracking my way out easily.

"Right on it, 01. Over and out."

"Be careful," Heero added before being interrupted.

"Heero, who are you talking to?" Relena questioned, sounding miffed he wasn't paying attention to her. I smiled softly, slipping through the halls quietly and with stealth. I really felt comfortable in the shadows. The night was my one true love besides Heero. In fact, I enjoyed watching the moon whenever I was on Earth. For some reason, I always felt at home in the dark of night.

"Always am, 01. You're the one always doing the crazy, life-threatening things. If you aren't careful, I'd begin to think you actually care about me," I joked back to him over Relena's whining voice.

"Just get here or we'll leave without you." Right as Relena began to complain once more, Heero cut the unit off. I smirked slightly. He was too good of a solider to ever leave alone. I slipped past a group of guards and made my way outside. I waited in the shadows and once the coast was clear I made my way toward the safe point.

As I neared the clearing, my usual quiet self, I saw a sight that nearly stopped my heart. Relena was forcing a kiss on Heero; my Heero! I could tell it was forced because he was trying to break away. Amazing how added strength fails you when it comes to a very stubborn and determined woman. Yet the sight that chilled me was the gun man who was standing in the shadows, aiming at Heero. He was possibly getting perfect solider vibes over the unprotected way he was stuck in, but couldn't act on them. It was up to me to save him.

"Heero, look out!!!" I shouted, seeing red. You could attack anyone else and I could remain calm. Go after my soul mate and common sense left the building. The gun man whirled and fired off a shot at me. Pain lanced through me in my left arm, but I ignored it. I drew one of my daggers and let it fly. It hit just as two shots rang out together. The dagger struck between the chest while blood blossomed from the man's head. I felt more pain sear into my leg. I knew the second shot I had heard had hit its mark as well.

Remarkably I came to realize it was the opposite of the ones I had dealt to Heero the first time we met. His was right arm left leg; mine was the mirror image of that, left arm and right leg. Irony was never as good as it was tonight. I moved toward Heero and a stunned Relena, but my vision blurred. My steps faltered and I soon found myself falling foreword. Before I could hit the ground strong arms wrapped around me, slowing my descent to the ground. I knew instantly who it was. I felt as if I belonged; it felt right.

"Baka," Heero muttered, pressing a hand tightly to the wound in my leg. Apparently it was worse than I thought because I saw stars. His voice also sounded far away. I knew it was going to be only a matter of time before I passed out. Even as bad off as I was, I had to try and lighten the mood.

"Hey, now we're even. Two shots for two. Perhaps now you can forgive my recklessness from when we met." I never heard Relena's words, I was seeing nothing but black now. I felt Heero's arms tighten around me and I smiled; a genuine smile. Then darkness embraced me in her loving arms and I knew nothing else.


	8. Heero POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter 6: Heero POV;

In case you haven't heard, Nuriko and I don't own anything... except maybe our

Insanity.

I usually blank out during mission mode; I just stop conscious thought and let my training kick in. This mission is just another simple mission that any of us pilots could have done. My unique skills weren't even needed at all. Duo could have done this mission better all by himself if it had been a one-man job, but no. I was called because Relena was the hostage in question. I know she's after me, but I try to ignore/discourage her actions by being the cold bastard I'm known to be.

If only it worked.

I get her out of the compound and the little twit is doting on how much I love her for me to have come to her rescue like that. The next thing I know, she's latched herself onto me with the force of a gundam and begins kissing me! Perfect Soldier training didn't cover this at all. The moment she kissed me, I snapped out of Soldier Mode and left myself exposed. Doesn't the idiot know how dangerous that could be? You see, when she kissed me, I stopped being a soldier and I started being a teenage boy with an armful of girl I've come to think of as ... I don't know... a sister maybe? No, not a sister, but definitely NOT a person I'd want to kiss. It felt wrong and all I wanted to do was get her off me. That's when I heard it.

"Heero, look out!!!" I heard a gunshot and pushed Relena to the ground before pulling out my gun and firing at the source. Just as my shot was heard, another was shot. That was the last action of a dead man. I left Relena and went to check of the would-be assassin was really dead. Once confirmed, I went to check on my partner. He was lying in the grass, blood seeping out of his arm and thigh.

"Baka," I muttered, as I tried to staunch the blood flow from his thigh. There was a lot of blood and I was worried he had nicked an artery.

"Hey, now we're even. Two shots for two. Perhaps now you can forgive my recklessness from when we met." I picked him up and held him tight. I don't know why or how the baka got under my skin, the point is, he has. I looked down at him just as Relena started talking and I couldn't believe my eyes. Duo was smiling. It was the most genuine smile I've ever seen on his face, not the jester's mask he wears for us, but a true smile. Just then his body went limp in my arms and I began carrying him to safety, Relena not two steps behind.

"Heero..."

"..."

"Heero! I have to talk to you!"

"So talk."

She huffed a little but continued to speak, "Why are you carrying him for? I'm sure that if you just wake him up he'll be fine. Why didn't you carry me out of that base? I am the damsel in distress, after all."

"Hn."

"I don't understand why you're bringing him back. I thought you gundam pilots were supped to leave your fallen behind."

"Just shut up Relena. You don't know what you're talking about." This girl is really annoying me right now and it wouldn't do to kill the hostage we just rescued.

"He's just gutter trash. I don't know why you bother."

That had made me stop. The jeep was only a few more meters away, but I won't have her disgracing my partner like that.

"Listen Relena, I'm only going to say this once. You will not speak ill of the man that just saved our lives. He is my friend and partner. You would do well to remember that. One more word out of you for any reason, I'll kill you. Don't try my patience." I glared at her, daring her to continue. By now, my control was hanging by a thread and I didn't want to be pushed any more.

She seemed to have understood and I made my way to the jeep we had hidden earlier. I placed my precious burden in the back and climbed in, waiting for Relena to get in before I took off.

"I really don't know why you let him hang all over you, Heero. Everyone knows he's a filthy little street rat and a faggot. If you're not careful, he'll take advantage of you while you sleep!"

I had enough and with a quick motion, I touched that special spot on her neck that knocked her unconscious. Good thing Wufei is an expert in the knowledge of such pressure points. Now, to drop off the foreign vice minister. After that, I'll be free to patch up my partner.

(Several hours later)

I was glad to be rid of Relena as I pulled up to the safe house Duo and I was to share for the next week or so. I don't like to have to deal with the likes of her for too long and Duo needs me now. I take him to the smallish bed in the tiny cabin we're to inhabit and place him gently on it. Pretty soon, I've cleaned his wounds and have him all bandaged up.

It's so lonely with Duo in this state. He's constantly chattering on about everything and nothing and I guess I got used to it. Okay, so he might be insane, but up until now, he hasn't been incompetent. Maybe I should lay off reporting him for the time being, after all, he did save my life tonight.

I tend the fire in the small fireplace and can't help thinking about all that Duo and I have been through together. Sure, he's as annoying as they come, but he's the only friend I've ever really had. The other pilots are good companions, but I've never really gotten to know them. I think only Duo has been able to come to some sort of semblance of friendship with each of the pilots; they all seem to be wrapped up in their own sorrows to really befriend anyone, really.

I look back over to the sleeping form on the bed, I've put some antiseptic on his wounds, so that they don't become infected, and I'm glad I didn't have to dig out the bullets. He'll be okay. I have too much time to myself right now.

Too much thinking like this can't be good for me.

I stare into the flames until my eyes become heavy and sleep takes over.

Dream

Pastels reign over the room's décor. All around, there are sheets of music and various instruments, from flutes, to sitars, to harps. In the adjacent room, a bed can be seen, the sheets made of pastel blue silk and the gauzy curtains that close it off a pale lilac hue. Back in the music room, a pale-looking creature sits on a red velvet cushion in front of the large window overlooking the city.

She sits with her fingers pressing to the lute, her breath flowing through it to create a beautifully angelic melody. She's clad in a powder blue toga dress with gold accents to it. Her hair is immaculately done up with golden pins to secure it to the top of her head. At her temples and behind her neck, a few well-placed locks hang free, curling elegantly to frame her delicate face.

"Harmonia," called a melodious tenor voice, "I could hear your beautiful playing from the streets below. You know how much I love to hear you play, my dear." Harmonia's eyes turned towards her newest visitor, her dazzling sapphire eyes locking with warm amethyst.

"Darios, I didn't hear you come in."

Darios gave her his roguish smile, the one he used to win her heart, and says, "I am one with the night, my lovely. Like your namesake, the daughter of Aphrodite, you are fair and talented."

Harmonia smiled and blushed slightly, "You, my lord Darios, are a fiend. You know very well that no men are allowed in this school, much less in the private chambers of its students. You must leave now before you are caught!" She gave him a little glare that only made him smile brighter.

"I'm afraid I cannot leave."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because you've yet to give me a goodnight kiss."

Harmonia blushed but gave him a glare, making her pout a little and in Darios' eyes making her look all the more beautiful, "I will do no such thing!"

"I won't leave until you do."

"You have to leave now!"

"Kiss me."

"No."

"Then I'll spend the night here." Darios began undressing, taking his time with his own tunic.

"You Greek boys are so bad!"

"So will you kiss me?"

Harmonia couldn't help but smile. He had somehow gotten through her hard exterior and had taken her attention from her single-minded love of music.

"Yes."

Darios gave her his best smile and sat next to her on the pile of velvet cushions. He leaned in and kissed her gently, letting her hair out of the confines of the golden pins. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled a little as Harmonia pulled his hair out of the club he kept it in at the nape of his neck.

Harmonia kissed her Darios with abandon, feeling his soft, silky hair run through her fingers. He smelled faintly of lavender, a smell she would forever associate with him. Just then, there was a crash at the door and a loud shout.

"Pirate!"

A whoosh was heard and the boy in Harmonia's arms stiffened slightly.

"I love you, Harmonia. You are the melody that will forever play in my heart..." Darios then went limp in her arms.

"NO! DARIOS!!"

End Dream

"NO! DARIOS!!" I find myself sitting bolt upright. I'm sweating and panting. My heart is beating faster and there is a knot in my stomach. I look around the room and find I'm in the safe house with Duo still sleeping on the bed. I run my hands through my hair and stare at the flames still going in the fireplace.

I was a woman, an English woman. And... Darios... He looked a lot like Duo. No, I think he is-was- Duo. Sure, his face had Greek features but those eyes were still that shade of color and his hair, though a bit darker was still beautiful and long like it is now. Why am I having dreams of Duo? Why was I a woman?

I look over at Duo's sleeping form and go check on him.

All seems well. At least one of us is getting a good night's rest.

I look at the time. It's now 2:30 AM... I guess I might as well go back to sleep and try to figure this out in the morning. I slip into bed with Duo, the air is chillier now that my body's cooled down and ran my fingers through his soft bangs.

"Duo no baka. You're contagious and I think you've infected me with your madness."

Jess' Rant:

Kay, I know I switched tenses there at the end, but the dream was supposed to be as if Heero was looking at it and not living it.


	9. Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter Seven; Duo POV:

My first recognition of awareness was of war-roughened fingers shifting through my bangs. The tender touch belied the words coming from lips I've found myself wishing I could kiss. A slight nasal monotone reaches my ears, the words bringing tears to my eyes, so I keep them tightly closed, refusing to allow them to show.

"Duo no baka. You're contagious and I think you've infected me with your madness." Madness?! Now I'm insane? Is that what he's trying to tell me? Either way I look at it, it doesn't sit right with me. I wait till he settles into slumber before moving. It's painful, but I've always been like the others when it comes to pain. Be it mental or physical, there was nothing I couldn't handle.

Getting to my feet, I waver, finding my thoughts at odds with reality. Who knew a little leg wound could hurt so much? It was nothing compared to the pain lancing through my heart at his words; still echoing in my head. I move to take a step toward the bathroom, only to feel my leg buckle beneath me and my body start to fall back. Just before I connect with the floor, I feel two familiar arms catch me. I love Heero's lightning reflexes, I really do, but being in the arms of the one you love when he thinks you're nuts, it just wasn't something I was up for.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice husky from being awakened so soon into his slumber.

"Trying to get to the bathroom. Unless you like embarrassing moments, which I certainly don't." I caught a small smirk cross his lips. He had all the power at the moment and was actually enjoying it. That always made my heart skip a beat. Moments like this were so few lately. Perhaps it was his bout with madness that had brought this openness. I really didn't care, because I loved every minute of it. Maybe that kiss of Relena's knocked some humanity into him.

"Next time ask, or I'll leave you for some hospital to take care of." Then again, maybe not. He really knows how to kick a guy when he's down. Yet it wasn't until he shifted me in his arms that I realized he was still holding me.

"Gee, I love you too," I replied honestly, yet sarcastically. Heero would kill me if I ever said that to him any other way. Probably think it would kill his perfect solider image. I felt him stiffen slightly at my words and sighed, giving him a pleading look. "Please help me to the restroom, Heero," I pleaded. He nodded and with what seemed no effort at all, carried me into the bathroom.

I took care of nature's lovely call first before washing up. Heero had been recruited to help me wash my hair and I honestly believe he enjoyed being able to get his hands on my hair. Once it was dealt its usual treatment of lavender oil shampoo and lavender conditioner we worked together to blow dry it before placing it back in its braid. Neither one of us spoke, but it felt like we didn't need to talk. We simply drew pleasure from one another's company.

"Thanks, Hee-chan. I was beginning to feel grimy and all. I really needed to clean up." I grinned at him, another original one. His care of me in these last couple hours has calmed my pain from his earlier words. I keep forgetting he isn't the same as the other lives he's lived. A simple smile and gentle persuasion won't win him over. Perhaps, since I'm confined to bed, I can press my luck. If anything goes wrong, he can blame it on my madness.

"Don't call me that," he growled. Yet his glare wasn't as strong and his growl wasn't as harsh. If I'm accomplishing anything, it's that I'm earning his friendship. I sigh almost defeatedly, my expression becoming serious. I can feel a part of me fighting to win his love, knowing failure isn't an option. His eyes seem to look on me in worry. He's never seen this side of me. No matter which lifetime, I always hid behind my mask of cheerfulness.

"I'll try not to call you that anymore," I began, my words low. "I'll probably mess up and call you it a few more times before I gain control over my tongue."

"Why is it so hard to just call me by my name?"

"Because you're a friend. I always give my friends something a little more personal to call them. Quatre's been dubbed Q-bean, which he admitted to me he actually likes. Trowa's became Tro-man. Wufei acts like he hates being called Wu-man, but he likes it better than Wuffles. I guess it was just a habit of mine. If it really bothers you that much then I will drop it, Heero, I promise."

He watched me for a long time, confusion on his face, before nodding. "Thanks." I shrugged.

"No prob, man. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't listen?" My heart protested my willingness to drop a nickname I've used many times. I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the headboard. "Heero, would you answer me something?"

"What?" His voice sounded wary. I couldn't blame him either. If I thought like him and was just asked that by someone like me, I'd be more than wary. I'd be downright scared.

"Actually, its more than something. It's a few questions. If you don't want to answer, you don't have to. All right?" He seemed thoughtful for a moment.

"All right, ask." I felt warmth spread through me and I couldn't keep another genuine smile from escaping my lips. I turned my eyes on him before asking my first question.

"Do you consider me a friend?" He glared at me before rolling those beautiful eyes of his at me.

"Baka. You're my partner, its true, but it's more. You've become the closest thing to a friend I have." I laughed lightly at that. Typical Heero, always believing he was above human.

"Do you believe in reincarnation? Of living different lives?" Heero's lips moved and I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I read the name right off his lips. Darios. He must have had a dream about our lifetime in Greece. I had been a pirate then. I had been wanted for stealing some of the greatest treasures of that time, but the greatest treasure I had stolen then was my dear Harmonia's heart. Now that was a figure that worked for Heero. There was something about togas that, to this day, still drive me wild.

"No," Heero said, a little quickly. My Hee-chan was scared, perhaps nervous. He didn't like the turn of my questioning.

"What about soul mates? Do you think there is such a thing? That we all have a destined love in this world?" Oh, he's really scared now. His eyes have widened slightly and his nostrils have flared out. That's always a telling sign. He looks away from me; perhaps other memories of past lives have found their way into his dreams.

"If that's the case, I feel sorry for the person destined for Relena." I laughed and then choked on my water. I had always felt safe drinking water while talking to Heero. He wasn't the one to joke; at least I didn't think he was. He was at my side in an instant, patting my back to help me stop choking. Once I could breath again, tears in my eyes, I stared at him.

"You. . .you just joked! Its one for the record books, seriously, because it will possibly never happen again," I gasped out once I had gained my voice. His Prussian blue eyes seemed to laugh at me, which caused my breath to catch. He was so close, his warm breath caressing my cheek. It would take almost no effort to meet those lips with my own, which were longing to meet his.

"I'm still human, Duo, no matter what anyone else says." I turned to face him fully then, our eyes meeting and locking, violet holding blue. He seemed so lost, so alone. Without warning I found my arms around him and my lips met his in a soft, quick kiss. It was over before he could respond or beat me away from him. He was probably going to hit me anyway. Hell, I'd hit me if I'd done it to me.

"It's all right, Heero. I've always known that. Although, I've often wondered if you weren't an angel sent from heaven to make certain I don't make a devil out of myself." For a brief moment I saw him all in white with the most gorgeous wings I've ever seen. They even rivaled Wing Zero Customs. Yet my vision soon went back to normal and I saw him as he was. Green tank top rumpled from his brief moment of sleep and black spandex shorts that drove my imagination wild. His hair was its usual tousled style. Everything was so dear to me, yet I knew I'd love him no matter what he looked like. It wasn't his looks I fell for but his personality. Even though he was colder to the world, he was still the caring person I had realized he was inside.

"Hn," was all I heard out of him. I faked a yawn and took two pain pills I knew Heero had left for me. I then leaned back and settled into the bed, knowing sleep was close at hand. I felt the bed shift and knew he was settling into bed as well. At least he hadn't hit me. Maybe he was simply waiting for my injuries to heal before letting me have it. I knew I deserved it, no matter what he decided.

"Ya know, Relena's only ever partly right about me in her rants. I am a street rat; will probably go back to being one after the war. Yet I am not a faggot like she accuses me of. I'm bi. I go in the direction my heart goes. Be the one I love be male or female, it doesn't matter as long as I can love them. If I'm loved in return, then it's all the sweeter." I placed a hand over my lips. I had stolen a kiss from the one I loved. My dreams would be all the sweeter for it. "Night, Heero," I finished, before getting comfortable, waiting for sleep to claim me and wondering what he'd say between now and then.


	10. Heero POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter Eight; Heero POV

"Ya know, Relena's only ever partly right about me in her rants. I am a street rat, will probably go back to being one after the war. Yet I am not the faggot like she accuses me of. I'm bi. I go in the direction my heart goes. Be the one I love be male or female, it doesn't matter as long as I can love them. If I'm loved in return, then it's all the sweeter," a pause, "Night, Heero."

He had turned on his side, facing away from me after that brief kiss and that angel comment. Duo was really a strange person. I made myself comfortable, lying on my back, but it seemed as though sleep wanted to remain out of my grasp. After Duo's stumbling woke me from my two minutes of slumber, the night had been rather… odd. Not unpleasant by any means, just…odd. I helped him to the bathroom, then I helped wash his hair.

If I wasn't so in control of my body, I'm not sure what could have happened. I had this peculiar sensation rolling around in my stomach as I washed the long mass of hair with Duo's special lavender shampoo and conditioner. He always smells like lavender… and I think it's beginning to work as an aphrodisiac. He made me help him dry and braid his hair after making me wash it, and for some reason, I kept having flashbacks to that dream I had. The scent was making me struggle with an erection until the shock of what he had said next knocked all the wind out of me.

"Do you believe in reincarnation? Of living different lives?" I'm not sure what happened next, but I think I said something about Relena and feeling sorry for her soul mate which effectively got him distracted enough to drop the subject. He's really beginning to break away my defenses. I can't let myself be blind sighted by him like this. It's just not healthy for the kind of work we do. And then, he kissed me. I'm still in shock of that. He kissed me. Two hours after he's fallen asleep, I'm still locked onto that memory. Why can't I just block him out like I do everything else?

I turn to my side, facing his back. I can't help but run my fingers through the tassel end of his braid. "Why, Duo?" I whisper, "Why do you do this to me? You'll be the death of me soon enough if I can't…" I sigh, what do I want from him? "What do you want from me?" I play with the tassel his silky hair makes, running it against my cheek. "Why?" I settle down in my sheets and hold the end of Duo's soft braid. It feels comforting… maybe I should get a teddy bear. This is all some twisted ploy for affection in my subconscious. It's too late to dwell on it now… I need to sleep now. Duo won't be able to care for himself for a while yet and I need to be ready for it.

Dream

The afternoon was hot and the tomes in the university's library were becoming too claustrophobic for him. He felt that the day would be better spent outside, cataloguing different herbs and their uses. Few people had his ability to sketch plants and animals as he could; a talent like that was used for creating books of reference for doctors or apothecaries. He walked down the road to a nice grassy field with his parchment, quills and ink to the shade of an olive tree. There, he sat down and began his task of sketching the various wild herbs, noting their names and properties underneath each sketch.

"Hey there, what are you doing here all by yourself?" He looked up at the sound of the melodious voice and was stunned to find the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She had reddish brown hair with some gold strands running though it cascading down her back, her dress was made up of motley patches, all vivid and bright in the day's light. She had large hoops through her earlobes, skin pale as the moon, lips as red as roses, and her eyes… her eyes sparkled like priceless jewels that rivaled crowned jewels of any monarch.

She waved a hand in front of him, "Can you speak?"

"Y-yes." She smiled at him then. Her smile seemed to melt even the iciest of hearts.

"So why are you here all by yourself?"

"I… I needed to get some work done…"

"I see…" "DULCE!" A voice shouted from down the hill to where a covered wagon stood, "DULCELINDA! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!"

The girl blushed a little and held out her hand, "I'm Dulcelinda, Dulce for short. What's your name?"

"Hu- Humberto," he said, taking her hand and kissing the knuckle softly.

She smiled again, "Will you come to the show tonight? I'll be waiting for you." He could do nothing more than nod dumbly and watch as she ran down the hill on bare feet, anklets and bangles jangling as she went.

End Dream

I sat bolt upright in bed as my dream faded and I watched Dulce run off with what I assume was her gypsy family. I was sweating and panting, trying to come to grips with what was going on in my head. I had to get up and away from Duo for a minute. I headed to the bathroom to splash some water on my face. Standing here in front of the mirror, I can't help but thing something just isn't right and I know it's because of Duo.

What is he doing to me? And why the hell am I having these dreams? For some reason, they seem more like memories than anything, but I just can't figure out why. I pad out into the room I share with Duo and lean against the wall. I let myself slide down to sit, watching him sleep peacefully.

Why is it that in my dreams I don't resist? It's like he's out to seduce me and I just don't understand. Maybe he's not the crazy one. Maybe I am. I can't help but sigh. We're both soldiers in this war and we can't have anything distract us. Does he feel something for me too? Or is he just out to break me? He kissed me. I can't believe he kissed me. If it weren't for the fact that it felt just like Darios' kiss, I might have punched him, but now, I'm so confused. And then there's Relena. That girl has to have some sort of death wish to be stalking me like she does, and why the hell won't she leave me alone?

I rest my elbows on my knees then my head in my hands and sigh. What was it that Duo said when I heard his little monologue? 'One of these days, I wish he could share just one of the many flashbacks of our life. Then maybe he'd ease up on me some.' Is this what I'm having? Flashbacks? Is there something he knows that he's not telling me? Come to think of it, he has been asking me the oddest questions lately. Re-incarnations, soul mates, past lives… the baka knows something, but he's keeping it under wraps.

This just won't do. I need to have all pertinent information and withholding any of it is unacceptable. There has to be a way to question him. He says he never lies, but he will evade the truth. Sleep be damned. If I can't rest, then neither should he. I get up and stalk to the bed. I hesitate only a moment before sitting down and shaking him awake.

"…nnn…. Go 'way…"

"Duo, wake the fuck up and tell me what's going on." I don't normally swear, but he's teetering on my last nerve. He's in my thoughts when I'm awake, and he's invaded my brain when I'm asleep. I need answers and I need them now.

Jess' Note:

I am SO sorry I took forever on this measly little chapter! I have lots of valid excuses for it, but that still doesn't make up for the fact that I've slacked off here. On the up side, I just took my State exam and passed with flying colors. I am now a CAN (Certified Nurse's Assistant) and I'm on my way to becoming an RN (Registered Nurse) Send us your reviews!


	11. Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter Nine: Duo POV:

I pretended to awaken slowly, rubbing my eyes and slowly sitting up. I hadn't been able to sleep after my own words, Heero was slowly losing it, and I couldn't keep everything bottled up inside either. If I did, then I'd become crazier than Heero thought I was.

"Duo, what the hell is going on?" he asked, his eyes hard and serious. I faked a yawn before turning my dark violet eyes on him. They were always dark when I didn't get enough sleep.

"Uh, I'm sleeping? Or was, rather. How hard is it to realize that?" I question, playing the grump. I was gonna make him work for it, damn it. I, myself, was too tired of doing all the work. Those words brought cobalt eyes straight to mine, glaring darkly.

"You said earlier in Deathscythe that 'One of these days you wish I could share just one of the many flashbacks of our lives.' I know there's something going on here that you know about. You have been asking weird questions lately and I don't think I like it too much. You're messing with my head again, Duo. I want answers and I want them now." His expression was darkened, even more than it normally was (if that's even possible), but I didn't back down. If he asked me something like this in a straightforward manner (albeit angrily), than I could do nothing but be honest with him as well.

"Apparently, my little monologue jinxed you with flashbacks. I caught you mouthing the name 'Darios' when I mentioned reincarnation earlier. Not one of my better incarnations, I might add. Although... stealing Harmonia's heart was the greatest theft in the world." I grinned a little at the memory of my sweet Harmonia, watching his eyes go from cold and angry to surprised.

"How did you know all that? I didn't tell you anything about that dream," Heero said matter-of-factly. I sighed. This was gonna be another long night.

"I know about it because I was there. I lived it. I've remembered every one of our past lives, Heero. Before you ask, it is our past. We are born, we meet, and we fall in love. Pretty soon after that, something happens to either one or both of us and the whole cycle repeats itself. For some reason, my memories come back to me each lifetime, but you're memory is wiped clean each time." He stared at me a long time before speaking; I know he was processing the whole thing in that great mind of his.

"Were you ever a woman?" he finally asked, almost as if he was making comparisons in his head (which he probably was).

"Several times, actually. If I had a favorite, it would be when I was a gypsy dancer named-"

"Dulce," Heero interrupted. I smiled softly.

"When did you have that dream?"

"Tonight." I thought about all that had happened today and after replaying memories of our time together in fast forward, I knew why.

"That was because of us working with my hair. We did the same thing the day we got married. You were always fond of my hair, that's why I kept making sure I grew it long in each lifetime."

"Stop saying 'we'. That wasn't me. Besides, we're both men this time, making the whole idea null and void. Leave the past where it belongs, it isn't like we love each other in this place and time, right?" I couldn't bring myself to answer that. This whole conversation was way too serious to joke about. At my hesitation, he started glaring at me once more, "Duo?"

"Not entirely correct, Heero. I've always jokingly told you that I love you. I was trying to protect myself. In reality though, I wasn't joking." He seemed stunned. No, more like a deer caught in the headlights. Drawing a deep breath, I fell back on what I was good at (and my last line of defense), rambling.

"Humberto was Dulce's everything then. He was such a brain, my Hu-chan was. He was the first person in 'civilized society' to risk a marriage to a gypsy. Come to think of it, when we were known as Hikaru and Damien, we made another first. We were quite possibly the first gay couple, but it's hard to say for sure. I can recall clearly how we- I mean, how Hi-chan and Damien got together. It was one hell of an argument that brought them together."

Without warning, I felt something pull at me and I found myself tumbling down a black tunnel. I soon landed on a pale tan carpet. My mind recognized the soft surface and I instantly noticed the dull throbbing of my wounds missing. Looking down at my hands, then at my arm where I had been shot, I noticed that there was no sign of my injury in sight.

"Dulce, are you decent?" a slightly husky voice called through a heavy oak door. I instantly turned to the windowed wall and saw myself as Dulce standing right before my eyes. She turned to the door, garbed in a beautiful white wedding dress. It had long sleeves that ended at her hands in a point and puffed shoulders. Roses were embroidered on her bodice and at the points of her sleeves. It hugged her curves and the skirt flowed out about her legs. Her hair was loose and flowing down her back, a white veil with red flowers on it rested over it. A pink lace cloth rested at her neck. Pearl earrings complemented a pretty pearl necklace.

"Humberto! Isn't it bad luck to see the bride before the wedding?" Dulce called, cheeks flushed. I couldn't believe it. I was watching the scene happen as if I was a casual observer; only no one could see me. I couldn't even see my own reflection in the mirror.

"What's going on here?" I muttered, realizing no one could hear me either.

"We've decided dreams weren't enough for Heero Yuy so we've dragged you two into your past. Simply to observe, I assure you," a deep rumbling voice said from behind me. I turned instantly to look at the tall man with the short black hair and two different colored eyes. While his right was a deep red, the left eye was white.

"Who are you and who is 'we'?" I asked, my mind jumping between the recognition I felt but couldn't place and fear.

"My name is Kokuyo. We would be my wife, Hisui, and myself. We want to help Heero and yourself." I felt skeptical. Nothing good happened without a reason.

"What do you get out of this?"

"Nothing more than the joys of helping two people find love." I rolled my eyes.

"You've been sniffing Aphrodite's flowers, haven't you?" I muttered. He looked surprised.

"You know her?"

"Know her? She's been the bane of my existence! I've never had longer than a year with my soul mate consistently. I'm tired of loving, remembering, and then losing that love. I'm so cynical now, I can't believe I can still risk loving him."

"I'm certain you'd risk loving him forever as long as it meant you could remain together some day." I was stunned. This guy obviously knew me well.

"Duo Maxwell, pleasure to meet you," I said finally, my fear fading. Something told me this guy could be the very devil at times but that all he wanted now was to help me.

"Duo? What an interesting name," he said, his voice wistful.

"Thanks. Your name's interesting as well. Isn't it a subtle translation for Devil's Son or Satan's Child?" He laughed, his red eye twinkling.

"That's pretty close to it. Hisui should be coming in with Heero soon. His past self is finally able to make your own past self concede and let him in." Sure enough, Humberto came in, dressed in a handsome white Tux with black tie, vest, and socks. His dark brown hair not as unruly as it usually was. Behind him was a very pretty blond.

Her hair was a soft pale yellow and her eyes were a light blue. Once again, I felt that feeling of knowing her, even though I'd never seen her before. Behind her was Heero, who still appeared shocked. Although, if truth be told, it seemed as if it was a more recent shock. Apparently, he wasn't used to his past self, who was passionately kissing Dulce with abandon. The scent of lavender filled the room. Obviously, that also disturbed Heero. Unable to bear seeing Heero so out of character, I turned to the two responsible for the trip to the past.

"As much as I love memory lane, I can't take anymore of this. Can you send Heero and me home now?"

"One more stop and then back home you shall go. I thought you hated pain of any kind?" Hisui questioned laughingly. I mentally noted they both seemed to know a lot about myself and I only knew that they were married, obviously in love, and wanted to help Heero and me. That wasn't a lot.

"I hate pain, yet I don't like this limbo."

"I see. Admire Hi-chan and Damien and then return home. This I promise." She then turned to Heero. "Enjoy remembering your past life and your soul mate, Heero-san. It's rare to see this once a lifetime let alone over twenty-nine times. Lets hope thirty is your lucky number, kind of like how many times you rewired wing, speculated self-destructing, and the same number of times you swore to remain the perfect soldier after Duo kissed you. Good evening," Hisui said flippantly. Apparently she had Heero in mild shock once more and my own gift for gab. We were then tossed into that black void and toward a time period when we had come together as a couple. The first time we ever-made love.

Flashback Scene

I watched Hikaru pace back and forth on the Oriental rug he had given me for my twentieth birthday. I was a highly ranked and wanted U.S. Marshal. My best skills were stealth related. Hikaru, at twenty-two, was just as sought after and high ranked. The difference being his skills rested in operation and firearms. He was the best gunman the Marshals had ever seen.

Although, at the moment, Hikaru's usually calm and collected exterior was shattered. Pain and anger filled his pacing. Just recently, a group of outlaws we had come after had retaliated. They had killed Hikaru's entire family. His grandfather, father, and twelve-year-old brother had all been killed, leaving Hikaru alone. Hikaru was determined to seek revenge instead of waiting for the law to come through. Even now, I was trying to change his mind about going after them, with little success.

"Damien, I won't change my mind. I'm going after them. Waiting on you is not an option." I watched those iced over Prussian blue eyes glare at me. It was a death glare he was well versed in giving me. One he also knew never bothered me, no matter how much he wanted it to. Yet this time it also hurt me. I hated seeing him like this, but I knew the reason they had hurt him instead of me was because I had no family.

"Hi-chan, knock it off. You aren't thinking straight. I could let you do what you want but then we both know what will happen. You'll die before the thought of revenge could even be acted upon. Now you may hate your life right now, but that doesn't mean you can just throw it away."

"It's mine to do with as I please!" he shouted suddenly, shocking me. Pain was clearly evident in his voice; though he was usually emotionless. I took in his sorrow-filled eyes and messed up hair and realized he hadn't been sleeping well, even before his family had been killed. I loved him so much and seeing him in this pain was killing me, "There is no one around to care about what happens to me anymore! Those bastards made damn sure of that!"

"But there is someone who cares if you're still alive or not," I began softly, my voice gained strength as I went on though, "right in this very room, in fact. I care about you, Hikaru!" He was startled by my words, his pacing stopped. "I love you!!" The words burst from my mouth, leaving me in shock. I could see he was as stunned as I was. I couldn't blame him either. That had been some pretty heavy stuff I was throwing his way.

"What?" he questioned lightly, those cold eyes turning their full attention on me. I could feel my cheeks turning pink in a warm flush. No chance of being ignored now. I had crossed the invisible line between friend and more-than-a-friend, effectively stuffing my feet in my mouth once again. It was a large mouth at that.

"I said I love you. If you want to seek revenge, do it properly, Hikaru. If you want a new partner after this, I'll understand that. Don't throw away your chance at life just because you got dealt a bad hand." I pulled my braid over my shoulder and played with the tip in my hands. He knew better than anyone that I had been dealt the worst hand of all.

My parents had been killed right before my eyes when I was only five, rather brutally too. The orphanage I was sent to could never place me for long. Eventually, the priest took pity on me and raised me himself. The church was then torched while I was forced to watch. The priest and sister who had been so close to me had been inside that inferno. I could hear their screams for hours after the entire place was in ashes, even though I knew they could no longer be alive.

The man responsible for all this didn't want me dead. He just wanted no one else close to me. It was why from age eight to nineteen I kept away from everyone. I kept away from anyone who could possibly become special to me. Yet with Hikaru, it was different. I was irresistibly drawn to him, my heart and mind recognizing him instantly. With this recent travesty against Hikaru's family, I wanted to heal all his wounds, mental and physical alike. I knew the threat my admission of caring for him would bring. Just by being my partner he ran a risk; a risk he constantly told me he willingly took. I still to this day don't understand why he took it, but I was grateful for it all the same.

"Why wait till now to tell me? Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I have a raving loon after everyone I care about. I can't imagine why I'd avoid speaking my feelings," I muttered sarcastically. Hikaru stared at me for a long while, his eyes semi-distant and semi-confused. Finally he acted, but it wasn't what I was expecting.

"I'll wait, Damien. If it will ease your heart, then I'll wait." I know my face lit up. His words had meant a lot to me, especially since I knew he would stick to it whole-heartedly. Hikaru never said something unless he planned to do it.

"Thank you, Hi-chan. You won't regret it, I promise." That said I took a risk and jumped forward, hugging him closely and tightly. To my intense surprise, he returned it, just as tightly and closely. Suddenly in one quick, fluid motion, he was pressing his lips against mine. He kissed me deeply, desperately, and with a range of emotion I never expected to feel from him. I felt myself being led toward the bedroom, hands roaming and could find no words to stop what was most certainly going to happen.

End flashback

We had been silently watching the whole scene, neither one wanting to say anything. I knew quite well what had happened once we reached that bedroom. I also know all too sadly that we never had another night after that one. For the first time in his life, he had lied to me. My expression must have betrayed my inner feelings of sadness and pain because Heero was suddenly beside me, holding me up.

"You shouldn't be on your leg. It's got be hurting you." I laughed, although I know it sounded forced.

"Not as bad as setting a broken leg without help," I mentioned. He simply stared at me.

"Hn," he answered. Once I was back in bed, I expected Heero to lie down as well and go to sleep. He didn't pass out, though. Instead he surprised me by talking. "What happened?" I must have given him a blank look because he then elaborated on it. "With Damien and Hikaru?"

"They enjoyed the best night of their lives before meeting their last dawn." Heero was shocked turning to face me.

"I was an efficient U.S. Marshal. I would always keep my word." My braid was pulled over my shoulder, my fingers worrying it. Heero had said 'I' that time, not 'Hikaru.' That was a positive thing.

"Normally you are, Heero. Yet you were still grief-stricken. You whispered 'I love you' and snuck out. The outlaws killed you before my stealth could get me to you. Before my skills could stop them from killing me I was injured too badly to survive it. I died shortly after you had. That was the end of that one. Not a very happy one, but at least we had known love and each other."

"You've dealt with knowing all twenty nine of our lives and deaths, but you never spoke to anyone about it. That's a strength I will never know."

"It isn't strength, it's hope. A hope that one day, I can find that ever lasting love with you that will survive our trials."

"Hn," was all he answered before turning over, back facing me.

"Night, Heero. Don't feel too bad that you don't love me. It's nothing major. I mean it's not like we won't have another chance, ne?"

"Good night, Duo," Heero muttered. I smiled lightly before closing my eyes and finally falling asleep.


	12. Heero POV

Once in a lifetime

Chapter Ten: Heero POV

I was finally about to get some answers from that baka but something had happened. I was then no longer in the room of the safe house. The surroundings I found myself in were unfamiliar but still, there was something that was nagging at my brain.

(Flashback)

"Welcome to your past life, Heero," some one called behind me. I whirled around and reached for my gun that was no longer there. She laughed at me then. No one laughs at me. I give her my best Death Glare and wait for her to finish. I am just too weak around women. I should kill all the annoying ones on sight. "I honestly don't know how Duo has put up with you so long. You have a single-mindedness that I never thought existed. You are probably trying to figure out where you are and if this place is a potential threat."

This woman knows too much about me. She is a threat. She is a liability that should be dealt with but not before she tells me all she knows about Duo and me. "How do you know about me? Who sent you?"

She had the audacity to laugh at me again before answering me. "We have been watching you and Duo for a long time-"

"We?" I don't like unknown factors.

"Yes, my husband and I. What is holding you back in this lifetime, Heero? You and Duo have been finding each other lifetime after lifetime and just as I start to think things will be all right, something tragic happens."

"We die. It's a part of life." I still don't think I believe her. Maybe she's a figment of my imagination. Maybe Duo has really done something to me to make me hallucinate. I must have a fever if this is what my supposed unconscious is churning up.

"It's a part of the normal cycle, yes, but you and Duo don't have that luxury any more. We've seen you meet and fall in love time after time but you are both running out of time. I can't tell you any specifics (Yuy Death Glare™ inserted here) but I can tell you this: If you both don't get things right, there will be no more 'next time.' The clock is ticking and you don't have much time left. Once you leave this plane, Heero, you will cease to exist. Do I make myself clear?"

(End flashback)

I turn over to look at my partner's face. He's peacefully sleeping, but I can't help this tightening in the pit of my stomach and this constricting around my heart. He believes there is another chance to win me over after we die here. He thinks that there's a chance he'll get to love the person he's loved for so long after we reincarnate and find each other again. He doesn't know that our time is running out. I don't know what to do. For the first time, my training has no place in my life. If this is a form of madness, I'm not sure I want to break free of it. Duo has gotten under my skin so much that if this is a delusion, my subconscious wants him to be more than a partner.

I look at his sleeping form and gently reach out to him. I run my fingers along his lips gently before pulling them back to me. He kissed me before the dream began. He told me he loves me and I've never had that before. He told me that he's been looking for me for so long, and I'm starting to not care whether this whole situation is real or not. It's as if he's lowered the floodgates and I don't want to go back to how I was. But there's still a problem, I know that my mind is beginning to process the situation slowly, but I don't know if I can deal with this all in real life.

It's as if I'm going through all the motions on automatic, but my mind is working a mile a minute. It's going to take some time to open up to Duo the way he wants me to, but... it feels right. Maybe there is something more to this relationship. Why don't I feel as adverse to the idea of being Duo's lover as I was before? Is this what I want?

I sigh and get myself settled for bed. I feel my traitorous arm sneak over Duo's body and pull him closer to me. It feels right. Why am I acting like this? Sleep deprivation. That's the reason for all of this madness. I haven't slept more than a few minutes in the past three days. I pull Duo's body closer to mine and breathe in his unique scent. I'll sleep and think about this tomorrow. Maybe this will all have turned out to be one bizarre dream.

Yet as I lay there my mind once again runs over things that it hadn't been looking toward before. This couldn't be the time that we were supposed to find happiness. Just as it had been for Duo once, so it was now for me. Anyone who truly admitted to loving me died. My parents were an unknown factor and Odin Lowe had been the only man close enough to me to be remotely family-like. Both share one very common factor, which is that they are dead. Their loving me killed them.

I stare at Duo's peaceful form; my arm tightens involuntarily around his waist, eliciting a soft sigh from his slightly parted lips. Duo has never been able to hide when he really was asleep. I realized more and more that I always awoke with him in my arms when we were sharing a bed and I also realized that I was the one who made certain he never knew about my nightly jaunts. I hadn't wanted Duo to know there was some part of me that reached for him even though most of me refused to acknowledge what it already knew. I had already begun to care.

I don't know how much of me is wrapped up in this braided baka but I do acknowledge I've been there since the day we first met. Back then; he had shot me, trying to protect Relena. To this day, Duo doesn't truly regret saving her, even though he likes to make people believe he does. He confided in me that he believed Relena could do something great for this world, if only she would drop her obsession with me. That was another area entirely that I refused to look at. Relena bothered me. There was just something about her that made me believe she was a little crazy underneath all those brains she had.

I sighed, catching the forlorn sound to it and I simply freeze. The crack in my perfect façade had become larger after that woman's words. I found myself reluctant to have to part with my control of my emotions and yet at the same time I wanted a chance to study in myself everything that Duo went though. The emotions he displayed every day were unique to me, mostly because I've never felt them myself. I want to know what it is about feelings that are such a mix of pleasure and pain that Duo readily takes every risk. I've seen him happy, angry, sad, hurt, and most of all playful. Tonight I had also gotten a chance to see him serious, nervous, worried, and loving. There had been so much love in his eyes as he had watched my past self with his own. It was a look I never really expected to see, let alone meant for me.

I sigh and shake my head slightly. "I really am going crazy," I muttered under my breath. I relaxed against Duo and let my mind finally falter, my body too tired to remain contemplative. Finally my mind slows its racing path and allows me to slip into the oblivion of sleep, giving me a break until I awoke the next morning.


	13. God POV

Once a Lifetime

Author's Rant: This chapter has a little bit of a change of pace to it. It's not really told from anyone's POV. This is solely to establish certain events that are currently taking place while Heero and Duo are getting reacquainted.

Chapter Eleven; God POV:

Standing in a rather large, almost plain office, a man with long platinum hair awaited a meeting with his superior. The walls were all a pristine white while the desk was a startling contrast in black. The chairs were a lovely shade of gray that seemed to bring a persons attention to the fact that only the desk and three chairs were in it. The man waited patiently, knowing that the person he waited for would arrive on time, as they always did.

The large silver door soon opened to reveal a woman with long, glorious black locks that seemed to flow around her slender body down to her ankles. A soft smile rested on pert, full lips, even though it didn't come close to reaching her lips. Her cool red eyes watching everything with an almost always-distant quality. She motioned for the man to take a seat and then took one across from him.

"How are things? All is going well I hope." The man glared at her, his cool blue eyes showing his dislike of her.

"As well as can be considering the circumstances. Did you truly have to agree to this curse? Couldn't you have asked Kami-sama and Satan to calm themselves and just drop the whole thing?" She watched him casually, those red eyes haunting.

"There was nothing else that we could of done, Zechs," she answered in a matter-of-fact voice, her tone neutral. "Kami-sama speaks through me. As his right hand angel I pass on what is to be done. They must fulfill the terms of the curse or they shall return without memories of the other. That is how it is. That is how it shall always be. You know that as well as I do. That's why we allowed you to go to Earth and aid your brother. We knew you didn't wish for Relena to win once again."

Zechs glowered at her, his hated clear while the woman took it all without flinching. He had been reborn in this world to help those cursed by Kami-sama until things mirrored their real life. Being Relena's brother in this time had made things easy to keep her from becoming to crazy in her pursuit of Heero. Yet even he couldn't control her completely. Not even as her brother.

"But it's not enough!" He shouted, becoming frustrated. She raised one dark eyebrow at him, her expression unchanging.

"That's why we also allowed Quatre and Trowa to help. Trowa was close to Duo while Quatre was more a calming presence for all involved. Wufei is also there this time, so I don't see where we haven't been doing enough. Zechs, you are the current Angel Master of Water and you are also the temporary Angel Master of Wind until Heero returns. You alone know the great importance of your task."

"But why did you have to allow Relena to be reborn?! She's constantly getting in the way!" She sighed, her eyes settled easily on him.

"Thus is the way to have worlds mirrored. This is the time. There will be no other chances. If Heero cannot love Duo before he is called to the next world, there is nothing I can do. Kami-sama would then have to bring them back to their true roles. Duo will soon realize this as well and I'm certain he will not tell Heero about it. He is not the type to force someone to love him. Not even with the threat of never knowing the person again."

"How can he realize that? He's had the memories of this time erased."

"True, but he is actually stronger than Kami-sama and Satan had expected. He's slowly recalling his real life, his true life. He is the son of the current Satan's son. Therefore it is very likely that both his angel blood and daemon blood are too powerful for just one of them to truly control. Not at least while some memories must be left open. Should Heero fail to love him, all but his true path in life shall be forgotten, leaving nothing to trigger his memories, not even those who've been dear friends."

Zechs stared at her. How could the woman remain so clinical when speaking of people's lives? Their hearts? It was downright worrisome that she could be so cold. Why would Kami-sama have chosen someone like this as his mouth, ears, and eyes in his realm, Zechs didn't know. His cool eyes hardened and glared at the woman once more. "Why had Kami-sama and Satan become so hard on these two while Trowa and Quatre are perfectly fine in a inter-racial relationship." She watched him, no emotions crossing his features.

"It was because Relena had to come ranting to him about it. In time, if Kami-sama and Satan had been given the chance to learn about all of this casually, as they had with Kokuyo and Hisui, things would have been different. They wouldn't have had to become so strict. Yet after seeing what happened to them after the first lifetime, Kami-sama resounded his ban on angel and daemon relationships. He knew there was no true way to keep soul mates apart. So now you see where the current laws apply. Yet Duo is different. He's a Daemon who could enter the Angel realm and not die. He is the first and only one who can. At least as far as I've been told. His features are decidedly angel-like in appearance, his gift from his mother. His power, however, is a mix of the great power of Satan's own and Kami-sama's light. That makes him unusual, unique."

"Can't you help them at all?" Zechs pleaded, sounding lost.

"I can do nothing. When the call comes in for me to collect Duo's soul, I shall. If, within that time he hasn't won Heero's love, then things shall return to as they were, end of story. You know this well Zechs."

"You are cold hearted. You care nothing for them."

"I am the Angel Master of Death. I alone am able to see to it that lives are sent where they need to be. There isn't anything I am supposed to care for. Yet I shall tell you this, Zechs. Create a situation where Heero will either have to deal with his feelings or lose Duo. You are in the perfect position to do that. Quatre and Trowa have yet to realize you are a part of this realm, or that you are trying desperately to aid your brother. Wufei suspects something, seeing as most people around those two seem to always have a way of making things happen and will possibly try to stop you. I would suggest you have Treize detain him."

"You. . .you are suggesting I be the evil one this time? You want me to be the one who darkens their life? I can't do that to my brother!"

"If you do not then they shall be forced to a life of eternal loneliness and shall never again be allowed to know their soul mates warmth. If you wish that then by all means stay out of it. We are through with this conversation, Zechs. You may go. Please show Quatre and Trowa in as you exit." She leaned back in her chair, her eyes distant. Zechs glowered at her and stormed off, refusing to look at her again. The door opened wide as he stormed out and briefly muttered to her secretary to allow Trowa and Quatre in before vanishing, not allowing the pair to see him as he left.

Quatre offered the woman a soft smile while Trowa inclined his head. "Nice to see you once again, Shuishi-san. Is all well with Kami-sama?" Quatre asked. She nodded, her eyes warming just slightly.

"All is well. How are Duo and Heero? Surviving I hope. I am sorry for the discomfort you must be in Trowa, in being here, but this meeting couldn't be put off any longer." Trowa nodded.

"It's quite all right. This is only temporary," he answered, his green eyes noting the strain around her deep red eyes. "She's been harsh toward you again."

"Hmm, she does that often enough, Trowa. Do not concern yourself over it. She worries for her brother. She doesn't realize we all want to see a happy ending."

"Is it finally the final incarnation?" Quatre asked, knowing their time here would be short. Shuishi nodded slowly, her head descending slowly.

"It is. You cannot force things. Heero must come to Duo of his own choice. It is what he would want above all else. Simply remain the steadfast friends you have been to them, as well as true lovers to each other and he will have to come around to realizing that there is a place for love in war. Love tends to bring one a calm that would otherwise never be realized. That is how life copes with the darkness the daemons bring into it. This has constantly been how things have been. We all know that here."

Trowa once again nodded while Quatre smiled sadly. "When are you to collect Duo's soul?" She watched him, although her expression was more closed off than Heero's had ever been.

"I can not tell you. But know that it is soon. Things are in motion for the final chance. Love will either triumph or find defeat. There is nothing else that can come from this. Forgive me for having nothing better to say."

"You've told us plenty, Shuishi, as well as shown you too care what happens to them, even though you shouldn't. We shall take our leave then and return to our duties," Trowa remarked. They bowed and left her to her work, her red eyes watching as the vanished. She did want them to succeed. She especially wanted to see Duo happy. As long as he was able to find that true happiness he was searching for, then she could find peace. If things failed, she would forever morn for the vibrant violet-eyed young man who would someday be the next Satan. For no one else would remember their once great and destined love but herself on that day.


	14. Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter Twelve; Duo POV:

I awoke late the next morning. Heero was already up and about, doing lord know what. He always did do the strangest things when I was asleep. I really did wonder what he could be up to half the time. I sit up slowly and brush my bangs from my eyes, finally feeling slightly better. Heero knew now. He knew and he hadn't run off into the night. That was a positive thing wasn't it?

I casually took in the room and found Heero once again sitting at the blasted laptop of his. What ever it was that that blasted thing held that kept his interest, it must have been important. He was almost never seen without being on it for at least an hour a day, if not more. It was really bothersome, to say the least.

"Heero. . .I need to get up," I call in a rather tired-sounding voice. I am tired still. There isn't much for a recuperating invalid to do but sleep. Heero glanced my way, his ever-present mask back in place with pinpoint accuracy. I sigh, so much for bonding this day. He comes over and silently helps me into the bathroom, knowing without the words what I wanted. For that I was grateful. I think for the first time in my lifetime, I couldn't find the will to be overly cheerful and bubbly. I wanted to be but I couldn't bring myself to be that way. Things had become too serious last night and Heero's real reaction to it was still a mystery to me.

I took care of business. I made quick work of the facilities and took a quick sponge bath on my own and took care of my hair. All the while Heero was back in the other room; probably back on that infernal laptop. I'd like to send that to hell with me one day. Then maybe I could find out whatever it was he was always typing on that thing. That's what it would take for me to find out, I knew it. Heero would never volunteer it that was certain.

"Heero, I'm finished in here!" I call out after I get my hair back into a braid. It isn't as neat and tight as I normally have it, but with an injured arm it was the best I could do. I refused to look at Heero as he once again picked me up and deposited me onto the bed. If I had to deal with this the rest of the time I was convalescing, I'd go crazy. Oh wait, I already was. (Insert my own personal smirk here)

"Duo! Heero! Is everything all right?" a soft, caring voice called from the other side of the main door. I smiled to myself. Oh good. Quatre and the others had arrived. This would promise to keep me out of having to remember what's going on. Maybe a good bout of justice ranting with Wufei would get me back to my old self. I watched as Heero went over to let them in before returning to the computer. I waved from the bed as I saw them, watching as aqua, forest green, and ebony eyes all looked toward me in concern.

"What happened, Duo?! You're hurt!" Quatre called as he noticed the bandage around my thigh and upper arm. Wufei took in the placement of the injures and smirked.

"Did Yuy finally get tired of that mouth of yours Maxwell?" I smirked. He had just given me the perfect opportunity. I think that's why I like him so much, he's always leaving a place for me to rib him, and even he realizes it.

"I'm cool Q-bean, just a little injury while saving Relena. As to your comment Wuffles, be thankful it wasn't you there. We'd have had to carry you out in a body bag." Wufei's ebony eyes narrowed, although his concern for me still showed.

"Injustice, Maxwell!" He shouted, to which I simply grinned. Trowa seemed to laugh with me, knowing I had been waiting to hear that. A day without hearing him say that at least three times wasn't a good day.

"Yeah, Wufei, and you'll kill me when this is all over, right? I remember." Wufei couldn't keep his dark look this time as I gently rubbed a hand over my shorts covered thigh. It was the only thing I could wear to where I didn't have extra pressure on the wound.

"Are you really all right?" Wufei asked lightly. I smiled. He cared, and perhaps that's what bothered him the most. He didn't want to care about me. He enjoyed thinking I was beneath him in a lot of ways. Yet, he also knew that I cared deeply about everything that went on. He knew I would gladly die for any of them. They were my fellow pilots and dearest friends. My life this time around wasn't a very happy one, but my friends more than made up for it. Heero was simply my icing on my otherwise plain cake. He was what made me continue to get up in the mornings.

"Yeah, Wuffles thanks for asking. I knew you cared about me." Once again his eyes glared at me and I began laughing before he could even begin.

"Injustice!" Quatre laughed softly and moved toward Heero. He spoke quietly to him while I teased Wufei and gained his dark glares and shouted words of retribution. I really did love these times. Even injured as I was, I was cared for. I knew it as deeply as ever. While Wufei went off to grab some new bandages for my leg, which had began to seep with blood, Trowa moved toward me. His normally silent presence made everyone of us comfortable. He was our rock when we needed to know we had one. For that, I thanked him dearly. Quatre was our mother, our worrier. He worried whenever one of us was hurt and played leader when none of us really knew what to do. He was good at that, as well as great at getting peace to settle down around us when we got a little over eager to cause trouble.

"You look pale," Trowa observed. I knew he wasn't just meaning my complexion.

"As opposed to how pale I normally am, right?" I asked, pretending to not follow his meaning. He nodded.

"You've been fighting too much, Duo." I smiled softly. Trowa always did have an insight into people that amazed me. I used to think animals were what he was best at reading. I watched Quatre rub his chest lightly as he spoke to Heero and knew he was picking up on my worry and pain about what all had happened with Heero. I was sad that he didn't return my love, but I was also hopeful that the next time around we'd have a better chance.

"Hmm, what else is new Tro-man? We've all been fighting too much lately." He shook his head.

"But not as much as you have been fighting on the inside," he answered quietly. I was stunned. Wufei came back and re-bandaged the wound before moving toward the door with Quatre and Trowa. I never got a chance to ask how Trowa could tell when I never showed what I really felt, but I didn't have the time.

"Take care of Duo for us Heero. We'll be back as soon as we can get this mission taken care of." Heero nodded his head and went right back to his laptop. Quatre gave me a grin and Trowa even smiled softly. Wufei cast one last worried glare my way and then they were gone, almost as quickly as they had come. Only Wufei could look upset at you and worried over you in one look. It was sweet.

"Heero, I'm gonna rest a little more. Would you wake me when lunch is ready?" He nodded once again and never glanced my way. I sighed softly, almost dejectedly. So much for hoping we could continue our conversation from last night. I settled down and after realizing I had been given the pain pills by Trowa while I had been arguing with Wufei I soon succumbed to the sweet oblivion on darkness.


	15. Heero POV

**Once a Lifetime**

**Chapter Thirteen: Heero POV**

8:00 am.

I don't know what is going on any more. The ideas Duo is putting in my head are driving me insane, but at least I have a place to put my thoughts. If it wasn't for my personal daily logs, I think I might have become a liability long ago.

I'm so confused now and that isn't something I like to admit, even to myself- especially to myself. I know that to be the perfect soldier that I was raised to be I have to be devoid of my emotions. I have to be the vessel that carries out the mission and I never had a problem with that... until Maxwell. He has gotten under my skin, and I don't know that that's a bad thing any more. I think that Duo is more than he seems to be but it's not just that. I feel like... I don't know. I feel like I can be someone else when I'm with him. The only thing stopping me now is my training. I cannot be lured into revealing my emotions, even if it is Duo.

Right now he's still in bed. I woke up again with him in my arms. I don't even know why I'm driven to do that every night. It's almost as if my body knows something my mind does not. I wish I knew what it was. I don't like uncertain factors.

Then there was that woman. She seemed to know a lot about both Duo and me. I'm not even sure who she is or what she wants, but it's just too strange for my liking. She said that Duo and I have been meeting lifetime after lifetime, but this is to be our last one. Even IF I did buy into the situation, into the delusion, I have to wonder: why THIS lifetime? If I was such a loving partner in my lifetimes before, why couldn't I have been born the same in this one? In this lifetime, I have the added pressures and stresses of war and being the soldier I have to be. My emotions are locked between my mind and this screen. They have no place in this time. Why now?

It seems that Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei have come to see how Duo is faring---

---Presence acknowledged. They know I like to keep to my laptop and won't bother me. I can hear them talk to Duo... and the strangest thing about all of

this is that I feel a connection between all of them. I don't know why I feel that way; I've never been one to relate to other humans, but there's something between all of us that just makes me feel... just feel.

I can ignore my fellow pilots for now... at the moment, I have more pressing things to worry about. For example: Who were those two who knew Duo and I so well? There's more to them than meets the eye, and for some reason, I felt like I had met them before, but that's impossible! I am not the kind of person to forget a face (even if I am delusional) and even if I did somehow forget their faces, there's no way in hell I could forget someone with two-tone eyes. Especially if that person had such disturbing eyes as that man (I believe Hisui called him Kokuyo) had.

This is all just too surreal.

I hear Duo say goodbye to the other pilots then asks me to wake him when lunch is ready. I nod and close down my journal. All this thinking probably isn't good for me. I get up and begin pacing around the room while the images of our supposed past lives running through my head.

How can it be possible for two people to meet and fall in love with each other for as many times as these people claim Duo and I have? No one can know about our past lives and still be alive themselves. If it were only Duo talking about such nonsense, I'd chalk it up to insanity, one that is infectious and has contaminated me as well. But then there's those two... Who are they and how could they possibly have the power to show us these past lifetimes. There's just no logical explanation for what I saw last night.

That leaves me to question not who are they, but what are they? From what I saw, the events took place in primitive times where recorded devices probably didn't exist. So how could that image be shown to us from two different perspectives?

They said they had been watching us meet, love, and die for all those lifetimes, but then that would mean that they were either lying to us (which is very possible) or they are the oldest people in the world (which is highly unlikely).

But what they said felt so... right

I look over at Duo, his body curled around a pillow for as much as his injuries allow, and I somehow feel something pulling me to him. He looks... ethereal. I don't think I've ever seen him in this light before. I reach over and brush my hand across his smooth ivory cheek and can't help but smile a little as his face seems to lean into the soft touch.

Things just feel right when I'm with him, even if he gets on my last nerve with very little effort. Now that I think about it, I don't know what I would do without the baka. I try and fool myself into thinking that I don't need him, but I don't want to be without him. I guess he's become a liability after all... and even though I don't know how to reciprocate love, I know that his being with me makes me feel what I can only assume is happiness.

I look at the clock and frown. I've been sitting on the edge of the bed for far longer than I thought. Lunch is past due and the baka will probably wake up soon and complain about not being fed. I get up and go to the kitchenette to look for something nourishing enough to sustain us until our next meal. Looking through the cupboards, I find the rations I had stashed here and set about preparing something that will at least give some semblance of food for Duo. I'm used to eating rations but Duo seems to think they taste like cardboard so I try my best to make it look like something he would approve of.

Why do I even care? Why am I even trying to appease him? We are soldiers, Yuy! You have gone soft. You need to be re-trained and re-hardened.

But I don't want to be cold any more. I suppose seeing what I could have had in another life has interfered with my logic. I... I think I am actually having a rebellious teenage moment. I don't want to be a soldier any more. I don't want to kill. I want to live my life without having to live from mission to mission. I don't want to have to go through with a self-destruct mission again. I want... I just want for me.

I take the bowl of what is supposed to be soup to the boy lying in bed and place it on the nightstand while I wake him up.

"Duo."

"Mmm.... Sleeping"

"Duo get up."

"Mmph.. Dun wanna..."

"Duo food."

An amethyst eye blinks open and he's sitting bolt upright in mere seconds, despite the injuries and the medicine head.

"Food? Where? Jeez, I'm starving, Hee-chan, why didn't you say so?"

"Hn." I hand him his bowl and watch him slurp everything up, drinking it as if the bowl were an oversized mug. We don't have spoons in this house, but it seems like we don't need them anyway.

He puts his bowl down when he's apparently finished with it and stares at me for a while. "Are you okay, Heero? You look... I dunno... stressed? And why do you look at me like that? Okay, so you know I love you, that I've loved you for a long time, but you don't have to worry about anything Heero. I like being your partner if that's all you'll let me be. I'll find you again next time."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to tell him what Hisui told me...but I want to. For once, I don't know what to do... I don't want to hurt him by telling him this is the last time we'll be together and because of my own shortcomings, we won't be happy ever again. I don't know how to love in this lifetime. I am very well aware of my handicap and I only wish that if I did love Duo once, this situation could have happened when I was able to love him back.

"Don't be silly Heero. I've found you so many times... how could I not find you again?"

"When will this cycle end, Duo? If this is truly real, won't the end of it come _sometime_? How many more chances do we really have to find each other? And have you ever thought that maybe we're supposed to be accomplishing something? There has to be a reason for all of this to be happening... it can't just be random if you actually remember other lives we've shared."

He stares at me for a moment, it seems as though several things are flashing through his memory, but it's gone before I can look into it. "You've really been thinking about this a lot, haven't you?"

"Yes. Also... I have a question to ask."

"I'm an open book, Hee-chan," he grins.

"How many times in all the lifetimes we've been through together have you told me the truth about you and your memories?"

"Including this one? Once. I think it's against the rules for me to tell you about my memories unless you specifically ask. I'm not sure how exactly I know that... but that's the impression I've gotten since the beginning."

"Do you have any idea why this happens to you? The memories, I mean?"

He chuckles a little bit and leans back on his pillow, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully for a moment before closing his eyes, "I really don't know, Hee-chan... maybe I did something bad in another life..." He yawns hugely and rubs his eyes a little. "Heero... I'm still sleepy from the meds Tro-man gave me... mind if I nap?"

"Go to sleep."

"Thanks, man..."

I get up to wash his bowl and clean up the kitchenette area, pretty soon though, I hear his light snoring coming from the bed. I can't help going back to the bed and laying next to him. Duo is the biggest enigma I've ever come across... and I'm drawn to it completely. Again, my traitorous arm finds its way around his waist and I too close my eyes, trying to banish all thought from my head and finally get a dreamless sleep.

Jess' Rant . 

Hi everyone! On behalf of Nuri and I, I just want to say that I hope y'all are enjoying this fic as much as we enjoy thinking of ways of toying with the victi- I mean bishies . ;

09/27 is my b-day and the best present I can get is a review... so umm... happy birthday to me?


	16. Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter Fourteen: Duo POV:

Dream

I sat beside a wondrous fountain on a small rock watching the water create tiny rainbows. The mist was gentle against my warm cheeks. I would be seeing Heero again soon. I couldn't wait to look into those handsome Prussian blue eyes of his once more. He had been so helpful toward me when things had been difficult and I'd been struggling to master my magic to remain my true form both night and day. He never complained when I asked him to meet me. He'd simply given me an 'Hn' and nod his head. His smiles still stole my breath away and I found that only I was able to get him to smile. Otherwise he'd either smirk darkly or glare; neither of which looked appropriate for an angel, let alone an Angel Master.

A gust of wind swept over me and I was soon facing him. My Heero; my Angel Master. He was there before in all his glory. His eyes were warm as they looked at me and his dress was a pristine white. I was in my usual black, this one with a cross necklace resting around my neck. He loved it when I showed no fear for God's realm. After all, I was half angel, although he didn't know it. I had no real reason to fear my mother's world. Just as I had no fear of my father's, even though it was by far the darker and more dangerous of the two. I stood up, facing him, my courage weak at best but I knew I had to speak what was in my heart.

"Heero, there's something I have to tell you. I don't want you to think differently of me after I tell you. I just need you to know." Heero looked at me with those eyes I had come to love.

"Duo, you're beating around the bush. What is it already? You know you can tell me anything." Drawing a deep breath, I looked into those cool eyes and blurted out what my heart was yelling at me to say.

"I've fallen in love with you. I've known since the first time I saw you, but it's grown for you over the years we've gotten to know each other." He stared at me for a long moment before doing the unexpected. He pulled me into his arms and kissed me. It was like kissing daylight. His lips were warm and soft, passionate and caring. I could feel myself melting into him. A sudden screech broke us apart, my violet eyes wide. Relena was standing a few feet from us, her eyes glaring daggers at me.

"How could you!? You've passed me over for him?! A devil in place of an Angel Master?"

"I've never wanted you, Relena. I've loved Duo since the day I first saw his smile. Nothing will change that," Heero said, matter-of-factly. Relena glared daggers at both of us then. She then vanished in a circle of water. Neither of us wondered about what she had gone to do. We both knew God and Satan would soon be told of what we had done. Punishment wouldn't be as kind to us as they had been to my parents. Hisui and Kokuyo had gotten off easy enough, yet it was told that if devil and angel dared to mix again, there would be a steep punishment in tow.

"Duo, son of Hisui and Kokuyo, your punishment for loving an Angel Master will be as follows," a woman spoke in a neutral voice, her red eyes and black hair-reminding me of the daemons of my father's world. I knew her instantly. She was said to be neither Daemon nor Angel. She was in-between worlds because she dealt with the life and death of all souls. I gave her a brave grin as she watched me with cool eyes. They were more well trained than even Heero's had ever been.

"Tell me all, Angel Master of Death. I do not fear it," I answered, showing my unique way of remaining cheerful even at the worst of times.

"From this day foreword you are sentenced to spend lifetimes trying to find your soul mate. In each time you shall be destined to know your past while Heero will forget everything that came before. If you're lucky he shall have dreams of your past. You cannot tell him of your knowledge unless he questions you about it. If, by the time your lifetimes have come to mirror this one, you cannot win his love, or you fail to win his heart before that time, then you shall return to your prior lives, forever locked away from the other."

"I would never willingly stay away from Heero!" I growled at her, my eyes flashing violet fire. She smiled sadly then and I knew my words had been un-needed.

"There shall be no knowledge of your two ever loving each other. Thus you shall never have a reason to go to him. Your hearts will be locked so that they will not reach for their other half. This is your punishment. You get one more moment with Heero before both of you go toward your first lifetime." I looked quickly toward the door as Heero was ushered into the room. We embrace each other tightly and I know he has been told about our punishment.

"I love you, Koi," he whispers softly. "Don't give up on me." My arms and wings wrap around him tightly. I don't want to say farewell, but there is no other choice.

"I'll find you. I'll find you over and over and over again until the cycle is broken. Remember me in your dreams. I love you." He kissed me then, and this one was bittersweet because we both knew it was our last for this time. Tears fell freely from my eyes as a bright light engulfed us and then I was thrust into darkness.

End Dream

I awoke with a start. Heero was lying on his back, a soft grunt falling from his lips as I made the bed move with my movements but he doesn't awaken. I'm shaking, my breath coming in swift pants. That wasn't like any dream I had ever had. What in the hell was going on? Was that what had really began this entire trip through lifetimes? I carefully got onto my legs and moved into the bathroom under my own power. I always had been a fast healer. Apparently it wasn't gonna stop just because I liked having Heero help me.

If that were the case, it would explain so much, and yet leave so much yet unanswered. There was just way too much I didn't know the answer to. I sighed and leaned against the sink, running cold water and splashing my face to hopefully help myself think more clearly. Heero's words of earlier come back to haunt me in an almost taunting manner.

"_How can you be so sure_?" he had asked me when he wanted to know how I could be certain I would find him next time. I honestly didn't know. I only knew that as long as I knew he was around and a part of my soul that I would stop heaven and hell to be with him. But then his next words came to mind, driving me to my knees in sudden pain, although my wounds were fine.

"_When will this cycle end, Duo? If this is truly real, won't the end of it come _sometime_? How many more chances do we really have to find each other? And have you ever thought that maybe we're supposed to be accomplishing something? There has to be a reason for all of this to be happening... it can't just be random if you actually remember other lives we've shared."_

He was correct, there was a reason behind this. We were simply living lifetimes until we mirrored our true lives. It had been my task to find Heero and win his love. I had been successful thus far. This was our last chance!

That thought struck me suddenly, with the power of a sledgehammer behind it. If Heero couldn't love me before either one of us is killed, then we'd never have another chance. This would be the end. Game over, as the saying goes. Go directly to jail, do not pass go and do not collect two hundred dollars. Oh this was not what I wanted to know. Not now, when everything was looking dark and impossible.

I took a moment and allowed my pain to become one with me. I looked it over almost as analytically as Heero would have done and accepted it. There was nothing I could do. I refused to push Heero. That wouldn't be love-talking....that would be fear, plain and simple. In truth, for the first time ever, I was scared, no afraid. I was honestly afraid. I didn't want a life without Heero. Yet I didn't want to earn his love by causing him worry. That would be the last thing I would ever want.

Standing up, I moved back into the room I shared with Heero. I walked over to the bed and stared down at him. I could feel my tight reign on my emotions fade as I suddenly felt a cool moistness on my cheeks. I was crying! Again I was crying and I had thought I had gotten the worst of it out of my system when I had been fixing Deathscythe. Apparently I wasn't even close.

I sniffed silently and walked toward the kitchen. I noticed the rations that Heero had brought and scoffed at them. How in the world could that boy eat them? They were awful. I went into a far cupboard that he didn't bother to use and pulled out all the makings for a Chinese meal. Beef, pork, and shrimp I brought out of the freezer he hadn't known I had stocked. I also brought out rice and vegetables. My sauces were pulled toward the stove and I began to cook in earnest.

I felt myself crying while I cooked. We were in a war. Either one of us could die at any moment. If that happened then we would lose each other. This could very well be our last meal, seeing as I was almost good enough to pilot my gundam once again. I frowned as I stirred everything carefully, taking care to use my very best cooking skills. I could cook, which was something the other pilots thought I couldn't do. I never bothered to try to be impressive when it was my turn to cook and had always made sandwiches when I had to make dinner. That had made them all believe I couldn't cook. I never bothered to correct them. I liked things that way.

With care, this meal was almost done within an hour of my waking. I knew I was in a kind of funk that I could never really bounce back from. I knew I'd try, because I wouldn't want Heero to realize that I had realized more than I had ever realized before. I'd want him as carefree as he could be. He didn't need pressure from me. After all, I loved him dearly. I loved him so much that I was willing to let him go so that he could make his own decisions. I knew the smell of real food would wake him soon. I forced a small smile on my lips as I began to sing my favorite song from an old anime called 'Gravitation'. It fit my feelings perfectly and I couldn't help trying to see the up side of all of this.

I had gotten to see Heero once more. I had gotten a kiss from him. In other lifetimes I had been able to love him body and soul. I knew that somewhere in my heart I would never forget him. No matter what was done to me to forget, I would remember. I would continue to love him and long for him, long after I was nothing more than a cold shell.

The following is the actual song. I wanted it written here so you can see why he was singing it to begin with. If you don't want to know the song, just skip this part.

OH! OH! SMASHING BLUE OH! OH!

OH! OH! SMASHING BLUE OH! OH!

Kawaita tsumori ame ga tsuzunaku katari kakeru

Namida wa seijaku ni...samayou yoru ga akeru

The dried aftermath of the passing shower has begun painfully to tell the tale:

"In tears, so silently... the wandering nights have passed."

KARADA o tsutau ame ni furueru awai omoi

Guren no yuuwaku ni...samayou yoru ga akeru

Shivering with the rain that trails down my body, a fleeting thought passes:

"In crimson allure... the wandering nights have passed."

Mabushii kiseki o irodoru SMASHING BLUE

Hajimaru MAKE ME TRUE kieyuku tsuki wa SILENT

Kimi no koe mo iranai SMASHING BLUE

Suhada ni nokoru kiramekimaru de TWILIGHT

Coloring the radiant miracle Smashing Blue

Beginning to make me true The vanishing moon is silent

We don't need even your voice Smashing Blue

Our bodies are left naked, glittering just like twilight

OH! OH! SMASHING BLUE OH! OH!

OH! OH! SMASHING BLUE OH! OH!

GLASS no shareta uso ni nanika o hoshigaru MY HEART

Shien no sono yubi de wazukani sasoi kakeru

Amid these glassy stylish lies, my heart seems to want something.

With those smoke-illusory fingers, you've merely begun to call out to me.

Towa ni hirogaru sekai wo SMASHING BLUE

Kioku no MAKE ME TRUE usureru kimi wa SILENT

Koware souna SPEED SMASHING BLUE

Subete o kakete kake agaru toki wa TWILIGHT

The world that stretches toward eternity Smashing Blue.

In memories, make me true Fading, you are Silent

Speed that could break us Smashing Blue

Twilight is the time that begins everything and then races on ahead.

OH! OH! SMASHING BLUE OH! OH!

OH! OH! SMASHING BLUE OH! OH!

DRAMA shitate no FAKE IT MOON

Kodoku o seou STORY TALE

Sameta hitomi de MAKE IT BLUE

Drama's preparations, the Fake it Moon

The storyteller, burdened with loneliness

With awakened eyes, Make it Blue

Mabushii kiseki o irodoru SMASHING BLUE

Hajimaru MAKE ME TRUE kieyuku tsuki wa SILENT

Kimi no koe mo iranai SMASHING BLUE

Suhada ni nokoru kiramekimaru de TWILIGHT

Coloring the radiant miracle Smashing Blue

Beginning to make me true The vanishing moon is silent

We don't need even your voice Smashing Blue

Our bodies are left naked, glittering just like twilight

I watched as rain once again began to beat down. The window showed everything of the world outside and its dark countenance. It was funny how it mirrored my inner feelings. I was almost ready to believe that maybe my tearful feelings were the actual cause of this storm. I knew that wasn't the case. That would never be the case. Instead I worked on having diner finished before Heero awoke. I would make certain we enjoyed every last minute we had left. I wanted these memories to eternally be in my subconscious long after we were parted. At least in my dreams, I would be happy. For Kami-sama knew, as did Satan, that I would never honestly be happy again.


	17. Heero POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter 15: Heero POV

The smell of spices assaults my senses as I drift through the layers of sleep. At first I tried to ignore it, but the smell was just too strong for me to ignore. I blink open my eyes and survey the area around me. Odd, Duo should still be in bed. Why didn't I notice him leaving earlier?

I get up and make my way to the kitchen. I know he's there and he's probably doing something I won't like. As I make my way into the brightly lit kitchen, I see that baka dancing around and singing a little song I don't recognize. I frown. He's not supposed to be up and he's not supposed to be dancing.

"What are you doing?"

He jumps a little at my question and turns to face me. "What does it look like I'm doing?" He says, waving a spatula at me.

"It looks like you're out of bed and wasting precious resources." I hate it when he gets sarcastic.

"I'm fine and I bought this food and stashed it here myself. None of your precious rations are being sacrificed to my cooking."

That got my attention, "Where did you get the money to buy that? We're on a tight budget on this mission, Duo. You shouldn't be splurging money we could be using on supplies."

He turns around to face me, slamming the pan on the stove as he does. "Dammit Heero! I used my own money to buy this food. You're precious little budget is safe from me!" He turns around again and I can see his shoulders slump a little.

"Why did you go out and buy food when I had already provided our rations?" Like that old book with the idiot girl who went down the rabbit hole once said: Curiouser and curiouser.

"I did it for you." His voice sounds so small.

"Why?" I sound callous. I know that. I can't help it now that I've noticed it.

He hesitates to answer, but when he does, the voice sounds small and broken, "because I wanted to."

I have to take a seat. Nobody has done something like that for me ever. I can't believe anyone would want to. I think the only gift I've ever gotten was from that little girl: a half-wilted flower. Still, she just gave it to me because she thought I looked sad, not because she liked me enough to give me a gift. I feel like I've been hit by a ton of bricks. 'Does not compute' keeps running though my head, and a fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach causes me to glare. I hate that feeling. It's interrupting my training.

I hear Duo slam something. He turns around and puts a plate of Chinese Stir-fry in front of me. How did that baka ever learn that I love such an unhealthy food? You're slipping, Yuy!

I'm forced to leave that train of thought when I hear Duo turn on the faucet and clean up after himself. He never cleans up after himself... and he shouldn't be up! "Duo, I thought I told you that you should be resting."

He spins around to face me looking very upset, "You don't listen, do you? I told you I'm fine!"

"I saw your wounds. You can't possibly be."

He looks furious and shows me his arm, where the bullet went through. I blink. It's practically healed completely. That can't be possible...

"Did G alter you to heal so quickly?"

He turns around again, going back to the dishes, "No, I've always been like this... every time."

I look down at my plate and then I look up at Duo's back. "Thank you, Duo... this is the...nicest... thing anyone's ever done for me."

"Listen Heero... I don't want to pressure you. I know you don't love me and I can't say it doesn't hurt, but I don't know how long I can stand it."

I look down, I want to say something, but the words aren't there. I try again, "Duo..." I wait until he turns around and I motion for him to sit on the seat in front of me. He sits and I try to get the words to come out in some semblance of coherency. "Duo... you are the best frie-" I can't say it. The word gets caught in my throat, making me dry-swallow once. "You are the best... partner... I've ever had."

His stunning eyes look odd... he's giving me this look I don't recognize on his face, but he nods wearily and whispers, "I understand."

I don't think he does understand. And I don't know how to make him. "Duo, you have to know that to me, the mission is my life. You are the only person I'd ever willingly take as a partner."

He gives me a broken smile and gets up to leave. "I have to go, Heero." If it weren't for my observational skills, I'd never had noticed that his eyes were tearing up. His eyes looked the way I felt when I killed an innocent that first time.

"Duo, stop." He paused just as he was reaching the door and turned to face me again. "Duo, you don't understand, and I don't think I have the capacity to make you understand."

He turns around and leans against the door. "Try, Heero. Use small words."

"I'm not very articulate when it comes to this sort of situation, but I'll do my best." At his nod, I take a breath and begin. "My world is a mission. You are the only partner I want by my side. Where I'm used to being alone, you have infiltrated my defenses. I am trained to be suspicious of others, but I trust you with my life. I have been trained to kill our fallen lest they become a liability, but I've never been able to pull the trigger on you. You are the only partner I've ever accepted, and you are the only partner I'll ever want." I pause and look up at him, "I don't know exactly what that means, but it's been on my mind for a while now. You are more than a comrade in arms... but I don't know what to name it."

I try to gauge his reaction, and it looks like I've just punched him in the stomach. Mission: Failure. I sigh and get up, going back to the room I shared with Duo, plate in hand. "Go ahead and think about it. I hope you understand."


	18. Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter 16: Duo POV

"What are you doing?" Heero's voice calls out from the doorway, making me jump and turn toward him. I couldn't help it. I used sarcasm as a shield.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I answer, waving a spatula at him.

"It looks like you're out of bed and wasting precious resources." Oh, I hate it when he gets so serious.

"I'm fine and I bought this food and stashed it here myself. None of your precious rations are being sacrificed to my cooking." I reply, watching as his eyes narrow and focus on me. At least he wasn't remarking about my being out of bed.

"Where did you get the money to buy that? We're on a tight budget on this mission, Duo. You shouldn't be splurging money we could be using on supplies," he retorts back. I snap. I spin around to face him, slamming down the pan a little too hard as I shift the food around.

"Dammit Heero! I used my own money to buy this food. You're precious little budget is safe from me!" I then returned to my cooking, placing my back to him, but my shoulders slump a little.

"Why did you go out and buy food when I had already provided our rations?" I sigh softly, too low for him to hear. I know my voice is soft and small when I answer, my heart behind it.

"I did it for you."

"Why?" Man, did he have to sound so callous. It was enough to make me cry and I didn't want to cry in front of him. I hesitate then, not really ready to say what I really wanted to answer. So instead I reply in a very small and broken voice.

"Because I wanted to." And I did. I had wanted to do something special for Heero. I had wanted to do something for him. Something that came from me. I hear him take a seat and I know he's thinking about what I've just said. I swiftly place the food on a plate, slam down the pan, and move over toward him, placing it down before him. I could tell he was surprised when he looked at what I had made. I couldn't blame him. It had taken me a very long time to figure out what it was he liked. He wasn't an easy person to read normally.

I then start in on clean up. This stuff could leave really tough to clean pans if you didn't wash them right away. So I cleaned up everything I had used. I know this must have given me away in some small way, cause I never normally did these things. I wasn't at all surprised when Heero started in again.

"Duo, I thought I told you that you should be resting."

I spin around to face him, my expression upset and hurt. I didn't want to have this kind of conversation now. Couldn't he tell that about me? "You don't listen, do you? I told you I'm fine!" I yell, my heart slamming in my chest. 'Please don't continue this, Hee-chan.' I plead internally. Yet he wasn't about to realize anything right now, especially that I wasn't in the mood for a serious talk.

"I saw your wounds. You can't possibly be." My expression becomes furious and before I know it I'm showing him my arm, the one where the bullet when right though. I watch him blink in surprise. It was almost completely healed. If he bothered to check my leg, he'd be even more shocked.

"Did G alter you to heal so quickly?" I spin away from him, returning to my dishes.

"No, I've always been like this... every time." He looked away from me, I could tell, but then I felt his eyes on me once again. His words seemed to shake me up inside when he spoke once again.

"Thank you, Duo... this is the...nicest... thing anyone's ever done for me."

"Listen Heero... I don't want to pressure you. I know you don't love me and I can't say it doesn't hurt, but I don't know how long I can stand it."

"Duo..." I stop and turn toward him, catching him motioning for me to sit in front of him. Reluctantly I moved to the seat and sat down. I notice he's having trouble talking.

"Duo... you are the best frie-" He can't say it. The word was caught in his throat, making him dry-swallow once. This obviously wasn't very easy for him. "You are the best... partner... I've ever had." Pain flashed through my eyes and I know my heartbreak must be on my face. Yet I nodded wearily.

"I understand," I whisper in answer and I really do understand. Heero isn't used to feelings in this time. He can't come out and tell me how he feels because he doesn't know how he feels himself. Yet I can tell he thinks I don't understand and he doesn't know how to make me.

"Duo, you have to know that to me, the mission is my life. You are the only person I'd ever willingly take as a partner." I grace him with a broken smile and get up to leave. I really do need time to myself before I break down and become a baby before him. His words have hit me a whole lot more than I expected then to hit me.

"I have to go, Heero." My eyes tear up and I know he catches it. I must look like a really innocent little boy at that moment. As if I was a green soldier who has yet to kill someone.

"Duo, stop." I paused just as I was reaching the door and turned to face him again. "Duo, you don't understand, and I don't think I have the capacity to make you understand."

I turn around and lean against the door. "Try, Heero. Use small words."

"I'm not very articulate when it comes to this sort of situation, but I'll do my best." At my nod, he takes a breath and begins. "My world is a mission. You are the only partner I want by my side. Where I'm used to being alone, you have infiltrated my defenses. I am trained to be suspicious of others, but I trust you with my life. I have been trained to kill our fallen lest they become a liability, but I've never been able to pull the trigger on you. You are the only partner I've ever accepted, and you are the only partner I'll ever want." He pauses and looks up at me, "I don't know exactly what that means, but it's been on my mind for a while now. You are more than a comrade in arms... but I don't know what to name it."

He tries to gauge my reaction, and I know it looks like he's just punched me in the stomach. I can't help it. He just said he loved me and yet he isn't even aware of what he's just told me. How very sad can that be? That won't work to save the love we have and I know it. It tears out my heart without even trying. I watch him stand up and head into the room he shared with me, taking the food with him.

"Go ahead and think about it. I hope you understand." I don't bother with a jacket then; I simply open the door and slip out into the rain. It felt soothing against my skin. It was cool and moist, just as the warm tears that fell down my cheeks at that moment were salty when they reached my lips. I was a mess. I had never been this unable to hide my feelings, but Heero's confession and yet non-confession was tearing a whole in my chest where my heart was. If he couldn't figure out for himself that he loved me, then we were doomed, in so many more ways than one.

I walk toward Deathscythe, my one true friend. I could tell the Gundam anything and I knew he would never get upset with me. Yet I soon found I never made it to my friend. With a strangled cry I was grabbed up from behind and I felt a needle prick the back of my neck. Instantly I felt everything in me go numb. I knew this was something G had been working on. It allowed the captive to remain awake for a little longer, at least to get a couple answers before knocking them out. When the captive awakens, they will be unable to move anything, unless given the anti-syringe full of whatever the first thing is. I never recalled his crazy name for it. Pestilence was always crazy this way. Mores the pity.

"Lieutenant Zechs? Are we to get the other one as well?" a young sounding voice questioned. My eyes narrowed, or at least I tried to make them narrow. It didn't quite work.

"No. The Wing Pilot is too dangerous. We take this one with us and lure him out. I want to go and make our demands known, captain."

"Yes, sir," the young one answered and I soon found myself face to face with Zechs. For a moment I saw his features superimposed over a very womanly looking angel and then I was simply staring at the Lightning Count himself.

"You will be his downfall you know," Zechs said softly, watching me. It was hard to read his expression, seeing as rain was falling into my eyes. "He will come for you, seeing as he can't leave you alone. When he does, he'll die. I will have my one battle without interference from my meddling sister. Perhaps I'll even give you a chance to say farewell before he falls to Epyon." I try to shake my head. I want to deny what he's saying, but I can't. Heero even said as much himself. He wouldn't leave me in Zechs hands, no matter the cost. Oh why did this have to happen now...of all times?

"Bring him to the ship. We leave when Captain Marcus returns." I heard another yes sir in reply and then darkness dragged me under, G's nasty little surprise hitting me hard and fast. I would really have to remember to tell Pestilence that I hated him when I got the chance.


	19. Heero POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter 17: Heero POV

I don't know what's gotten into me lately. In a very short time, I've become something that I don't recognize. I think I believe the story that Hisui told me because strangely enough, I can't find anything to disprove what she told me. Then again, I have no way to prove it either... unless you count the dreams I've been having.

I finish up my stir-fry (who knew Duo could cook?) and take it down to the kitchen to wash the plate. Duo's probably long gone by now... I hope he can figure out what's going on in my head from what I've told him. I'm having a hard time trying to put a name to the things stirring around inside of me.

A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts.

Duo wouldn't knock. He hasn't been gone long enough to come back yet. I look out the little window above the kitchen sink and see someone standing in a military uniform. Kuso. I can't be found out and I can't shoot him in case someone is close enough to hear the gunshot.

I leave the kitchen and exit the small cabin through a back door and make my way around, silently. Just as I reach the uniformed man, he turns to face me, obviously startled to have me sneak up on him. I lash out, making the side of my hand connect with his throat, effectively knocking him out. The body slumps to the wooden deck making a thumping sound that I hope nobody hears. I open the door and drag the limp body inside.

Once inside. I take him into what would be the living room and fish a length of rope out of my pack. After securing his wrists and ankles to make sure he doesn't escape, I go and fetch a glass of water, my gun at the ready.

What could that Ozzie be doing here? And alone? Something isn't right. I come back and throw the water on the man's face, smirking as he sputters and becomes fully conscious. I stand over him, aiming my gun at him, as I wait for him to get his bearings.

"What do you want?" I ask in my iciest tone. I should really just kill him now, but something is screaming at me not to.

His face pales and he dry swallows before he whispers, "Lieutenant Zechs has asked me to deliver a message to you regarding pilot 02."

I gave the man my best glare, cocking my gun, "You have 10 seconds."

"Pilot 02 has been captured and will be executed if you, pilot 01, do not surrender your gundam. You have 3400 hours." The man was visibly shaking and trying his best not to beg for mercy. With that, I pulled the trigger, shooting the man just a centimeter away from his ear, making the soldier faint. I smirk; he's too much of an innocent to be mixed up in all of this.

Three hours later, I come back to the safe house, and booting up my laptop to get a message to Quatre and the others. The rookie has been safely relocated to a remote area in the forest that's close enough to the main road so he won't get too lost. I can't kill an innocent on purpose.

I open my email and begin to compose a message to the others:

To: 03,04,05

From: 01

Subj:(none)

02 captured. Backup requested

I send the email, and get ready to go. All I need to do now is wait for the others to set a plan into gear.

Later that evening, I heard footsteps approaching the cabin. It was late and I was busy cleaning my guns when I heard the gravel outside crunch under the soles of shoes. I turned off the lamp I was using as a light source and make my way to the front door. I stand in front of the door, my gun at the ready when Trowa walks in to the safe house, ignoring the gun I have trained at him.

"What happened to Duo?" he asks. Quatre follows, appearing worried while even Wufei slightly shows some concern.

"He's been kidnapped." I lower my gun and walk into the living room I was in and turn the lamp back on so that I can see their faces.

Wufei nods silently while Quatre moves toward me, "What do they want?"

"They want my gundam, what else?"

Wufei glares at me for a moment, "So what do you plan to do?"

I don't know what to answer. I want to go and rescue him, I want to rip Zech's head off for even touching my Duo, but... I can't. I was trained to destroy our fallen, lest they give away valuable information. I have to go after him... but the problem is, will I go there to rescue him, or to shoot him? I've never been able to shoot him before, and I don't want to do it now, but fighting against my training is wearing me down.

Trowa snaps me out of my thoughts; "You're not planning on leaving Duo there, are you?" He actually looks concerned, which is odd because his mask is almost as perfect as mine.

I look at Quatre and notice his eyes begin to water, "You can't Heero.....at least we have to plan to save him! Even if you won't give up the Gundam, he's our friend and we can't leave him now!

I clench my fists tighter, all these emotions I'm ill equipped to handle running amok inside my brain. The pilots aren't helping matters either what with their different tempers being set loose while I myself am unstable... I'm not sure how much longer my mask will hold out, "...I ... I don't know what to do. I need... help... I know I have to go in there and shoot him before they get anything out of him but I don't want to." As I say that, I realize, I _don't_ want to shoot him. I know I have to but I don't want to. I sound like a broken record... I'm driving myself crazy!! Damn J and his training. I'll kill him for this one of these days...

"Shoot him!! Are you mad?! This goes beyond that!" Quatre is losing control too, apparently. At least I'm not the only one.

"You don't know anything! You have no idea what's been going on!" Did I just yell? I'm sounding like a rebellious teenager, but I can't bring myself to stop.

"I. . .I agree with Quatre on this one. We can't. He's a part of our team." Wufei wants to save Duo too? I thought they hated each other... Duo won't believe Wufei is siding with him, I doubt I'll tell him about it though. He said he loves me... I don't want to hurt him by telling him that I contemplated going after him just to execute him... even if it is only my soldier side screaming at me to and not me entirely.

Listen to me... I'm talking about myself as if I had two separate identities. I need to snap out of this destructive train of thought. It's not healthy.

"If we don't know anything, then why don't you enlighten us?" Trowa looks angry. Even his voice is letting some of the venom seep through. Maybe he cares more about Duo than he lets on? No... I thought he and Quatre were together... but still... I don't like that he seems to care that much about Duo.

"... You'd think I was crazy if I told you what's been going on..." They are my comrades in arms... I owe it to them to try to explain even if I don't want to.

"Try me." I look up at Quatre and meet his determined gaze. He knows something... I'm sure he does...

"I'd rather understand than be left thinking you'll kill him." Duo would have a field day if he knew Wufei just said that.

I sigh and let myself collapse onto a lumpy couch, "... I think I'm going crazy... but I've been having these weird dreams... and then there was that hallucination that I'm starting to believe... and Duo telling me my dreams are really memories..."

"He always has been more open than us. Maybe he knows more about life as well." You're so very optimistic, Quatre... I still think you're keeping something from me.

Not a second goes by before Wufei speaks up on behalf of Duo as well, "He's more insane than anything, but even I'd be bound to believe it if he actually said it. He doesn't lie."

I look up at them, meeting all three of their gazes one at a time, "It's just too crazy to believe. Then there was that hallucination Duo and I were pulled into.. This lady Hisui and her husband were making us look at "memories" ... and Duo was a girl! Can you believe that? He was a girl in a white wedding dress with red roses embroidered on it!" I'm losing my composure and I can't pull myself back together. I'm going hysterical and I know it. I need help. I want Duo back. I need Duo back. Why did they have to take him? I can't take this any more. I pull out my gun and hand it to Quatre, looking at him in they eye. He'll put me out of my misery... I feel pain but I don't know why. I'm not trained to handle non-physical pain. "..I'm a liability and I don't know what I'm doing any more... dispose of me. Save Duo and get rid of me. I'm useless" God, I sound like Relena...

"You're starting to sound like that onna we always have to save." Thanks Wufei... I didn't need for you to tell me I was right on that count.

Just as I'm about to beg Quatre to shoot me already, Trowa stomps up to me and punches me squarely on the jaw. My head is thrown back momentarily, and I see little black spots in my vision for a few seconds before I shake it off. I needed that. I give Trowa a grateful nod as Quatre chides him for doing that and he nods back. We've always had a sort of understanding.

I take a deep breath and try to clear my head. I think the punch worked. I feel less hysterical already. I begin trying to explain myself again, "It's been a hectic couple of days... I've been forced to acknowledge certain emotions lately and it's been interfering with my system. Lately I've been having dreams that Duo claims are memories. Then we were visited by two entities, Hisui and her husband Kokuyo. I was led to believe that after this lifetime, if I didn't come to a certain realization, Duo and I would cease to exist. Those are the facts as I have come to understand them-"

I look up at the three standing in from of me and I think my eyes momentarily left their sockets. Each one of the pilots in front of me now sports a pair of wings on his back; Quatre and Wufei have brilliant white wings, while Trowa had the darkest, most beautiful wings on his back. I jump behind the couch, training my gun on them, in case one of them makes a move, but by that time, the wings are gone, "Okay, what are you?" I hate unknown factors.

Wufei looks at me with a look of contempt, as if I were the dumbest human being on earth, "We are what we have always been. Your friend, you idiot. You are acting worse than a woman."

"I've never seen any of you with wings before."

Quatre is the first one to answer, "That's because you weren't allowed to." He turns to whisper softly at Trowa and Wufei, but my sensitive ears catch what he says, "Duo knows his true past. If he didn't, Heero wouldn't have seen us like that."

"That would explain the baka's reason for going out in the rain." I think I feel a bit jealous... I don't like Wufei calling Duo a baka... even if he is.

"What are you taking about and why were Trowa's wings different? I am in no mood for games and as Wufei pointed out, I am highly unstable at the moment."

"Unstable? You're insane. But that is beside the point." Wufei mutters under his breath. I'm close to strangling him right about now.

They're silent for a few seconds before Quatre speaks up, "Trowa is as Duo is. You are like Wufei and myself."

I hate it when Quatre is being diplomatic. I want a straight answer and show him I'm serious by cocking my gun in his direction. "You're being evasive," I growl.

Next thing I know, he's laughing! He has the audacity to laugh at me! "Since Duo knows, you can as well. You are an Angel Master Heero. Have been since the day of your birth."

"And will be again, when things come to an end." Wufei could never keep from putting his two cents in.

I lower my gun and click the safety on. I can't believe it. They're part of this too. It's a giant conspiracy on a cosmic level. Obviously the prehistoric humans of Greece had it right in their mythology. The Gods and/or angels do mock the mortals, using us all in what to them might be some amusing little drama. "...So it's true?" I ask, "The past lives? Everything?"

"Yes." Quatre replies. "Trowa, Wufei and myself have been quietly watching over you two. Duo is Trowa's cousin, and as such, wants him to have what he has found himself."

Trowa and Duo are related? They're nothing alike! Still, I can't wrap my mind around the idea that these three... these people I cared for as more than just pilots... could have been deceiving me and Duo all this time. "The three of you knew all along? Why? What did we do to be punished like this?"

Quatre turns sad eyes on Trowa; somehow, I missed where they had come to wrap their arms around each other. "You remember the best, Trowa, you tell him."

Trowa nods a little at Quatre and takes a deep breath before speaking, all the time keeping a grip on Quatre's hip. "...You and Duo got close," he began, "After a few hundred years of being friends, your relationship grew beyond that. An angel master found out about the two of you and became jealous and demanded you be punished. This is your sentence... you two were to live lifetime after lifetime, finding each other and sharing a love doomed to end in tragedy within a year of falling for each other. The cycle was to repeat until the lifetime mirrored the original, and if by the time either of you perished in said lifetime and true love had not been declared, you both would return to your original lives without knowledge of the other's existence."

That's more than I've ever heard Trowa say to me at any one time. "...Is that why you're here? To make this life mirror the original?"

He nods solemnly and I can't help but explode in his face, "Then why the hell couldn't you have appeared in a lifetime where I was better suited to do what I have to do?!"

"You are exactly as you were then in this time now. So how else would things mirror then?" Shut up, Quatre! Why do you have to be so calm and reasonable when I'm in the middle of a breakdown?

I rub at my face in frustration, wiping away little beads of moisture that seem to have come from my eyes, but I pay them no mind. "Then how could I fall in love with him then if I was this emotionally crippled?"

"Because of who he is." You shut up too, Wufei. I know who he is. I know Duo is a good person who does nothing more than try to make me smile.

"He always gave you a smile when you met and did nothing but attempt to make you happy. Through that, he won over a heart no one else could reach." Didn't I tell you to shut up, Quatre? Wait... he won over my heart? Does he mean now, or does he mean then?

"No one else could manage that but his sister..." Wufei mutters, but the words don't sink in immediately.

"The difference is, this time around, my emotions were systematically beaten out of my system. I don't even know how to identify them!" My voice has actually broken out of its trained monotone. Goodbye perfect soldier, till we meet again. "How am I supposed to know what I feel for him if I don't know what feeling is like? ... Wait... Sister?" It was then that Wufei's words hit me, and hit me hard. I don't have a sister... do I? "I have a sister?"

"Yes.... she's around here somewhere as well." I am in no mood to have Quatre be so reasonable. I want to punch that diplomatic little face for having more calm than I know mine does.

I think Trowa can tell that I'm close to venting my frustration physically. He's glaring daggers at Wufei and mutters, "Open your big mouth, why don't you, angel?"

I then look over at Wufei, only to find the most childish display of sticking his tongue out at our tallest pilot with a petulant look on his face. "Shut it Daemon," he says, folding his arms across his chest.

I ignore their little battle and think back on who my sister, if I even have one, could be. There isn't that many girls I have come in contact with and Quatre said she's around somewhere... wait... NO! It better not be- "...It's not Relena, is it?"

Trowa disengages from his little argument with Wufei for the moment to give me an incredulous look, "Oh, HELL no!"

Wufei also becomes distracted to give me a similar look, except this one has disgust mingled in, "Hell no..... although I wish I couldn't call her Angel either."

This is really getting to be a bit much. "Relena's a angel too?! Next you're going to tell me that my biggest nemesis is involved in this too and is somehow connected to me!" There's no possible way for that to happen since he just abducted the one person that means more to me than my laptop and Gundam put together.

As I wait for them to relent and tell me that no, not everyone around me is mixed up in this tangled web, I look up to find Wufei in deep thought, "That could very well be."

"You're making me paranoid, Wufei," I say. I'm not in the mood to hear that sort of thing.

"Come to think of it, he does act like Meridiana." Et tu, Quatre?

"Never heard of her," I say as I cross my arms over my chest. I do not remember that name, and I refuse to acknowledge it does ring a bell.

"Meridiana is part of a life you can't remember," again with the talking Quatre. I swear, if it weren't for your questionable control over what you do when you're pushed, I'd have beaten you to a pulp. "She's your sister."

Whoa, no. Not true. Can't be true. "Stop right there. Zechs is NOT my sister. If I did have a sister, which I don't, why does she want to kill my Duo?" Did I just say 'my Duo' out loud? I must have, because all three are giving me a little smirk, but at least they don't say anything.

"Did you ever stop to think she'd want you to realize you cared for him before he dies...which from what I have been told is going to be soon." Duo's going to die soon? NO! I can't let that happen! Damn you, Wufei... if anything happens to my Duo it'll be your head!

"Wufei...you are getting upset. Calm yourself." That's right, Quatre, tell him to shut the hell up before I hurt him.

I need to get out of here. I need to sleep because tomorrow morning we're leaving to rescue Duo. I have too much to think about. As I go, I hear Trowa mutter something about bad tempered angels and how their tempers could fuel the fires in hell. I don't really pay attention until I sense a fire behind me.

Flames erupt around Wufei's hand while Quatre tries to get him to calm down. "I can't! Can't calm down!" Wufei yells, the flame licking up his forearm, but strangely, it doesn't seem to burn him.

"You can Wufei. I don't have an element to calm yours." Even Quatre is starting to loose his cool. Good.

As I watch Wufei struggling to calm down in amusement, Trowa's yell snaps me out of my viewing, "Heero! Wufei said he's going to cut Duo's braid!"

I barely notice Wufei yell back, "What was that, Daemon Boy??!"

My vision is engulfed in red. I can't seem to control my anger... why does the mention of harming Duo's _hair_ have this reaction on me? I advance on Wufei, fully intent on harming him bodily and growl. I actually growled! "If you dare lay a hand on Duo, I'll rip you to pieces!"

I reach out and grab Wufei's throat as I shove his body against the wall, pinning him there and cutting off his air supply. To my surprise, a huge gust of wind came out of nowhere as soon as I laid a hand on Wufei and the fire was blown away

Trowa smirked and looked away from us. "You can let go of him now, Heero."

Quatre shakes his head at Trowa's actions. "Trowa!! That was terrible."

"It worked, Quatre. And I also believe Heero just discovered something about himself," Trowa answers with a shrug, catching me off guard. I let go of Wufei, my expression blank.

Wufei grabs his throat, rubbing it, "Did you have to make me the example, Daemon brat?"

"Quatre, why did I do that? Does this mean I care about Duo like that? Like Trowa and you care for one another?" I ask, staring at my hands.

"I can't answer that for you Heero. You have to understand that one on your own." He answers, his voice once again calm. I'm really going to have to hurt him someday.

"Yes, Wufei, I did. You couldn't control your fire, so I took care of that little problem for you." Wufei and Trowa seem to glare darkly at each other, both a little strained.

"I. . .I think I do. I think I care about him a lot," I say softly, watching Wufei a moment before sending him my coldest glare. "And I WILL rip you to shreds if you touch him."

Wufei shook his head, obviously immune to my glare. "Wild man, I wasn't gonna do anything to him to begin with. He's Kokuyo's son and Satan's grandson. I don't have a death wish, unlike someone else in this room." I know he's making a snide remark about my former habits of self-destruction.

Trowa grins, one I've seen so many times on Duo that I can't believe I'm seeing it on Trowa. Obviously, they truly were related. Yet Wufei's words once again sink in slowly and I almost miss the argument going on between the two of them. "You can't touch me. Duo's my cousin. We're practically brothers! I'm under his protection, so there!" In a display of more childishness, Trowa sticks out his tongue, which Wufei glares at. Quatre, on the other hand, displays a playful side and lightly catches that tongue with his teeth, nipping it lightly.

"Behave," Quatre mutters softly.

"Don't remind me Daemon," Wufei growls.

"Too late," Trowa taunts. "Don't you just love us Daemons running away with Angel Master hearts?"

"I happen to still have mine and it will remain right where it is thank you."

"We'll see about that," Trowa came back with.

"Baka," Wufei mutters. "You are just as bad as an onna."

"Duo's gene pool at work. I also know a very nice daemon girl who's fry your ass if she heard you say that."

"I happen to like the Angel Master of Death a lot better than you three right this minute," Wufei growled, making me grin. Now there was one woman you didn't want to have to break up with. She could just think your time was up if you hurt her. That was really saying something for Wufei.

I stop them with a simple shot into the air, effectively silencing them. "If you all haven't realized it, Duo is still in danger. We have to come up with a plan, and now."

Quatre looks at me with warm eyes, "Does this mean that we are making a rescue and not a death mission?" I smile. I can't help it. Quatre can be too calm at times, but at this moment, his concern is touching. I nod.

"Hai. We will save him. I swear it." I know now why Kokuyo and Hisui tried to help us. They were Duo's parents. It hit me when they had been fighting. Knowing that, I knew every Hisui told me was true. I was also able to realize what this crazy feeling was that was driving me crazy. I loved Duo. I knew that now. Now it was only up to me to save him and tell him before it was too late.


	20. Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter 18; Duo POV:

I awoke slowly, feeling groggy and clammy. When I got a hold of G I was personally going to introduce him to Hell. My home would make the poor scientist green in fear, but it would be worth it. I looked around the room to see myself on a cot, stuck in a room without being tied up. This must mean I wasn't gonna be able to move. Checking to see if I could, I realized I was right, I couldn't.

"Don't move, you'll only make things worse," a soft voice spoke beside me. Looking over I could see a woman with long black hair and red eyes. Someone I hadn't been able to remember in a long time.

"Shuishi, what are you doing here?" I asked, my voice calm and cool despite the fact I knew her being here wasn't a good thing. After all, she was the Angel Master of Death, and that usually meant she was only around because she had a job to do.

"Looking after you, Duo. You're time on this earth is almost at a close." I sigh and watch her look at me with sadness in her eyes. I know she knows this is my last time here, my last chance. She seems so sad though; I can't help but remember more of a past I wasn't supposed to be able to recall.

Flashback

I watch as Kokuyo, my father speaks with Satan, my grandfather. Beside them is a young girl with long black hair and red eyes as my father once had. After meeting my mother, he had given one up to her, sharing his power. I didn't understand why I was here. I only knew it was important.

"Duo, this is someone I want you to meet. Someone you will have to deal with a lot when you take over in my place," Satan said in a deep rumble. Kokuyo nodded, holding a book in his hands.

"This book lists the names of every person and when they are to die. Only Shuishi, here, can read every date and name. She is my daughter, and your half-sister. She will be in contact with you a lot as you lead our people," Kokuyo said softly, looking warmly on Shuishi. Shuishi smiled softly, one of the few she ever allowed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Duo-sama," she said in a soft voice. I smiled at her.

"It's an honor to meet my sister," I answered, moving over to her and hugging her. She froze in my arms. It was obvious she was very much unused to having anyone do such a thing. I grinned. She'd get used to it. After all, everyone got used to my odd ways, eventually.

"Now, we will leave you to get acquainted. Farewell," Kokuyo said, following Satan out of the room. I graced her with a grin.

"So, you're my sister. Are you just like me? Or are you all daemon?"

"I am like you, the daughter of an angel and daemon. Kokuyo and an angel whom God had chosen came together to make me. I was supposed to be the only one. Seems I wasn't. Now one shall watch over Hell while the other watches of life and death. A fitting job for each of us, is it not?" I nodded. She was rather straight foreword. I liked it.

"Very much so, Shuishi. Although, I think you got the better job. Not so much paperwork as mine." She laughed and we shared a knowing smile. Both of us would always be very busy, that was a certainty.

"Yet you must not tell anyone. At least, not at the moment. Those whom you deem worth it should be told only. No others." I realized what she had said was important and I nodded in agreement. What kind of brother would I be if I couldn't do as she asked? Not a very good one, in my opinion.

"I'll do as you ask, sis. Just call me brother when we are alone, all right?" She grinned once more and nodded.

"Hai, I do believe I will, brother," she answered, a smile very much like my father's crossing her lips. She was most definitely my sister and my father's daughter.

End Flashback

"So what happened to make my life so short?" I asked, keeping my voice light. I knew if I showed how much knowing I was soon to die bothered me, then she would be saddened as well.

"The experimental drug G came up with is flawless. . .against humans," she said softly, watching me with sad red eyes.

"Meaning, that to daemons, it can hurt us," I guessed.

"It's deadly to daemons. It uses a mineral that humans can handle but that daemons can't in its pure form." I knew instantly what she was talking about.

"He has pure silver nitrate in there, doesn't he," I said, not even phrasing it as a question. She nodded.

"Yes, he does. Zechs will not give you the cure in time. You are already dying. There is nothing that can stop it."

"Why is Zechs even bothering with me? He's always been after Heero."

"Because Zechs is really Meridiana, Heero's sister. She came here to protect her brother from Relena and to make certain you two found one another. I, myself, told her to kidnap you. I knew this would bring about your death but I didn't inform her of it. Instead, I told Wufei that things would be coming to a head. He's the only one who can get Heero here in time. If he says he loves you before it kills you, then you'll be saved. If he doesn't. . ." she trailed off, her voice full of unshed tears.

"If he doesn't, I return to the daemon world, never to know him as my other half again," I answered, my voice low. She once more nodded, this time tears falling from her eyes.

"Brother, I can't let you die. I don't want to return you to a life I know you will hate!" Shuishi cried out suddenly. I pushed myself to the limit and raised a hand to press against her cheek.

"You can let me die. Just as you've had to in the past, you can do it again. I shall live with whatever happens. I know my heart will never be the same, but at least I shall still have Trowa and you. You two are my family." She watched me, red eyes full of shimmering tears that had yet to fall.

"You remember everything then?" I nodded.

"Of course. Kami-sama and grandfather couldn't keep me in the dark forever. Especially with so many close friends near-by. Yet for the moment, I'd like to be alone. Stay close by in case Heero doesn't make it in time. Right now, I want to sleep."

"Right. Good-night, brother." I nodded and drifted off; after all, I was still pretty drugged up. Why not sleep while I could? Soon, nothing would be able to wake me up anyway, not even Heero, my Heero.


	21. God POV

Once a Lifetime

Chapter 19; God POV;

Shuishi left Duo after those words and headed off to find Zechs. Sure enough, she found him all alone and staring out the window, watching for the Gundam Pilots to arrive. She smiled sadly and placed a hand on his shoulder, a tear slipping down her cheek. He jumped, startled by her touch.

"Shuishi!? What are you doing here?" he asked, his eyes wide.

"I've come to tell you that you might not want to fight the pilots to hard. If Heero can't reach Duo in time, it will all be over. He will be dead before he can reach him. Even now, he grows weaker. Soon, even I can not refuse to take him." Zechs eyes flared open wide in disbelief.

"What!! I wasn't supposed to kill him, only kidnap him. What in the hell happened?" Shuishi looked away.

"The drug you gave him had silver nitrate in it. Harmless to humans in small doses, but deadly to daemons." Zechs glared at her.

"Why didn't you tell me about this when you told me to kidnap him?"

"The only thing I told you to do was capture him. Otherwise, you acted on your own. Finding that drug from G, you acted without finding out what was in it. It isn't really no ones fault, but a daemon is still a daemon, no matter what they look like on the outside."

"You tricked me. I told you I wanted no part of his death! I didn't want to be the bad guy."

"I know you didn't. This is only what the fates had in store for you. No other person could have managed what you had. Heero knows now that he loves Duo. All he needs do is make it here in time to tell him."

Zechs turned from her and rushed toward the main phone. He yanked it up and hollered into it. "Do not, I repeat, do not fire on the Gundam Pilots when they arrive. Let them onto the base without trouble. I have plans for them once they are in to see their friend," he called out, startling the young soldier on the other end.

"But the Gundam Pilots always attack first! Are we just supposed to fall to their skills?" Zechs glared at the phone as if he'd like the kill the young man.

"Just follow my orders. If you don't, I'll kill you myself."

"Hai, Lieutenant Zechs!" the man yelled and hung up, leaving Zechs to slam down his own phone. A second later the phone rang. He glared at Shuishi and picked it up.

"What is it??" he questioned gruffly, not in the mood for this.

"Sir, we've caught Miss Peacecraft sneaking around down on the grounds. What would you like us to do?" Zechs turned narrowed eyes on Shuishi.

"What in the world is she doing here?" he asked of her. Shuishi shrugged, her shoulders lifting her long dark hair.

"Perhaps, seeing as Heero and Duo remember the past now, she does as well. It would be Kami-sama's way of making things even. She might be here to see you and to confront Duo."

"Is it a good thing to let her see him?" Zechs asked. Shuishi nodded.

"This could be his last stand. I would suggest he get his anger toward her out before having to deal with his old life, wouldn't you." Zechs nodded, reluctantly.

"You are correct." He then turned back to the phone. "Bring her in and place her in Pilot 02's room. Perhaps they can keep each other company for the moment."

"Yes sir," the soldier answered and Zechs hung up before anything else can be said. He turned cool eyes on Shuishi.

"Can we manage to pull your invisible trick and see what goes on in the room?" he asked. Shuishi nodded, shifting her hair back over her shoulder so it would fall down her back.

"We can. I would rather like to see how she reacts to Duo's situation. After all, the way she acts now will bring about Kami-sama's judgment on her." Zechs nodded and without another word they faded from this word and into Shuishi own little part of this world, the realm of shadows.

"Duo, why are you just lying there?" Relena asked coldly as she was finally left alone with him. He struggled to open one eye and look at her. His skin was abnormally pale and his skin even looked clammy from where the former Angel Master of Water stood.

"Because I can't move, Relena. They gave me a drug that's got me really messed up." Relena seemed to want to glare spitefully at him, but then concern won over and she rushed to his side.

"Duo? What's wrong? What did they do?" Duo smirked, slowly, and laughed casually, or at least as casually as he could make it.

"The Angel Master has a soft side after all, huh, Relena?"

"I know I've always been mean to you, Duo, but I didn't want this. I only wanted Heero, not your death." Duo smiled softly, a real one.

"I see. You care, although it isn't the same as what we feel for one another. That is how your life is. I'm sorry I didn't realize that his loving me hurt you. You really aren't as bad as everyone thinks, are you, Relena?"

"No, I'm not. I suppose I was just being greedy." Duo laughed at that.

"At least you're being honest." Relena nodded and slowly placed a hand on Duo's cheek, feeling the coldness of death already touching his flesh.

"I wish I could die in your place, Duo. I wouldn't want this of anyone. It seems painful." Duo shook his head, despite the fact he was really hurting inside, and from more than the silver nitrate running in his veins.

"No, you don't need to be in my place, Relena. In this time, you are a positive influence, Miss Peacecraft. I would like to see you bring this world into peace." She sniffed, tears falling from her eyes. "Just one thing," Duo asked as his eyes shut once more. "Did you really sleep with Kami-sama, or was that just a rumor?" Relena sniffled once again and laughed.

"I've only ever enjoyed humans as my sexual partners, Duo. Besides, I think Kami-sama has better takes than a promiscuous angel." Duo laughed, but it was soft, almost not there.

"Good. I thought as much but couldn't be certain." Relena placed a hand over his forehead.

"Save your strength, Duo. Heero is on the way to save you. You have to stay alive to see him one more time." Duo nodded and slowly slipped back into unconsciousness. Relena looked up to see Zechs soon enter the room, having left the shadows of Shuishi's realm to see the young angel master whose place he had taken.

"Relena, that was fairly nice of you."

"What do you want? I can't even see you as a brother for what you've done."

"That's good, because I'm not really your brother."

"Huh?" she asked, her voice confused.

"I'm Meridiana, Relena, not Milliardo." Relena's eyes widened in shock.

"You're Heero's sister!" Zechs nodded. Before he could say anything, though, Shuishi arrived.

"Relena, Kami-sama wants to see you." Relena nodded and flashed out in a whirl of water. Shuishi then turned to Zechs. "The Gundam Pilots are here, and Heero does not look happy. Shall we hide once more in the shadows to see how things turn out?" Zechs nodded, not quite as angry with Shuishi as he had been earlier.

"Please, I would like to see this become a happy ending," he answered. She waved her hand and the path between the shadows and the actual realm opened. As they moved to leave Zechs heard her soft reply.

"So do I. So dear Kami-sama and Satan-sama, so do I."


	22. Heero POV

Once a Lifetime

Heero POV

As I run through the halls, I try and keep as silent as possible. I have to get Duo out of here and I don't want to get caught doing it. The other pilots and I have split up to look for Duo; we'll keep radio silence until Duo is found and hopefully extracted from the compound.

I turn the corner and come face to face with five guards, one of which was the rookie I let live. I duck back around the corner and flatten my back against the wall, ears trained on the sounds they make, waiting for movement. I know they've seen me, all I have to do now, is waiting for them to fire so I can tell where exactly they're standing.

They're not firing. Why aren't they shooting?

"Pilot 01," I hear the rookie call out to me, "We have been ordered to grant you safe passage through the compound. You need not shoot." It's a trap. It must be a trap. I hear boots stomping off down the hall so I risk a peek around the corner. Only the rookie is standing there, his gun on the floor. I could take him out if I needed to. "Pilot 02 is in holding cell 1221."

I glare at him, but give him a little wary nod. I have to keep my guard up; it could still be a trap. I run down the corridors, ever mindful of anything that could be considered remotely suspicious. I run past a door marked 1221 and skid to a halt, panting, and kick down the door. The door is thrown back off its hinges to lie on the smooth floor.

I look around the small, dim room. I still think it's a trap, and then I see him. My heart pounds loudly in my chest, so hard, that I can hear it. My Duo, my precious Duo lays prone on a small cot. His skin is so pale, it's practically translucent. His breathing is so shallow, I almost miss it. His long rope of hair trails off the cot and just brushes the floor. My Duo... my angel... he's so beautiful... what have they done to him?

"Heero?" I hear him call softly.

I step forward, placing my hand on his icy one, "Hai, Duo. I'm here."

Violet eyes peek through his long lashes, blinking at me sleepily. They've almost lost their shine. That's when I realize I'm going to lose him. "Duo... what have they done to you?"

"It's an experimental drug, Heero... it's messing with my system..." His voice is so small and brittle; I can't help the tear that begins to gather at the corner of my eye.

I lift him, so that he's almost sitting, then I too sit on the bed and hold him, making him sit on my lap. "It'll be okay Duo... I'll get you the antidote. There is an antidote, isn't there?" I'm beginning to worry. I don't like that Duo is so cold and weighs so little.

"Yes, Heero, there is an antidote. I've already been given it, but it isn't working."

I can't help it any more. I let out a sob, and free the tears I've been holding back. I can't loose him. Not after so long! "No, Duo... Just stay with me. I care about you too much... Please, stay."

I feel cold lips on my forehead and a warm tear fall on my hand. I look up, and see a tear falling from his eye. He's crying too. "I'm so sorry, Duo... so sorry... I've ruined it all. This was our last chance to make it and I've failed. I've failed you." I'm losing to hysteria again, "Please forgive me Duo..."

He places a cool finger on my lips and smiles at me. I love that smile...

"I want you to know, Heero, that I love you. I always have loved you and I always will. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more time... but my time on earth s fading."

I hug him tight to my chest, his body getting colder by the second, but I don't care. "I do love you... I love you so much." Did I just say that? I've never been able to say it before... I've never been able to say the word "love"... I feel him going limp in my arms as I cling to him, praying that he lives.

"You...love me... Hee-chan?" His words are barely even a whisper. I let go a little bit, and see his eyes closing, eyes rolling up. His eyes close, a little content smile on his deathly pale face. "..Say it...again...."

"I love you!" I say it with a little more enthusiasm than I had actually intended as his body goes limp in my arms.

He's gone. He's really gone.... NO! Duo, come back!! I hold his cold, lifeless body to me, rocking it gently back and forth as my tears fall freely down my face. Duo, please... I can't live without you... not now that I know how I feel... I realize that I've been murmuring "I love you" over and over into his hair even as I choke on my sobs. I've never cried like this before... not even for that girl with the puppy.

I feel warmth coming from Duo's body. I look down and see it engulfed in brilliant red and black flames that although warm, don't hurt me. His body becomes lighter in my arms, and I realize he's fading, literally. In moments, Duo's body is gone.

Just as I'm about to curl into a ball and sob for my Duo, the same red-black fire starts up a few feet in front of me. He looks... gorgeous. He has the most beautiful ebony wings I've ever laid eyes one. His are even more beautiful than Trowa's. His hair is neatly braided, and he's dressed in what looks like a black gauzy robe, except I can't see through it. His stunning eyes have taken on an ethereal quality, the color itself flowing as if though his eyes were made of glass with a violet storm stirring inside. I've never seen anyone more beautiful than my Duo.

He looks at me and then at himself, his wings flexing behind him. As I admire him, his violet eyes widen in surprise, "I'm . . . I'm me again....."

"Duo?" I feel my voice crack from crying so much.

"Hai, Hee-chan. Don't you think you've hid yourself for far too long as well?" His voice is like black silk, intoxicating to the core.

I wipe at my eyes and step a little closer to Duo, gently touching one of his wings. I look up at him and find him grinning, "Hee-chan? You enjoy being human?"

I blink, "I don't remember any other way to be..."

"Of course you do, Hee-chan..." He comes close to me and kisses me deeply. I feel a jolt of electricity run from my lips down my spine. Memories of our original life and the lives that came after it came flooding into mind. A blue-white light threatens my vision I shiver. A loud cracking sound can be heard and feel this huge gust of wind surround us, keeping us close together as I hold on to him. We break the kiss, both of us dazed and breathless with swollen lips. I look around me and I see that I too have wings. The difference is that mine are an iridescent white with small traces of sapphire when the light hits them just right.

"Show off," he smirks at me. I blush. It's been a long time since I've consciously been in control of my powers.

He leans close to me and gently kisses his lips, "Remember love. It's time we went back home. We've been gone for far too long."

A distant cawing can be heard coming closer to us until a black crow appears before us, tears streaming down his beak, "Master Shinigami!!" It cries as Duo reaches out to catch him and hold him close, "Hello Shi....miss me?"

The bird nods and Duo lets Shi go. Duo watches the crow fly and caw in joy and moves toward me, pulling me into his arms, "I rather like you like this best."

I'm beginning to wonder if this shade of red is a permanent fixture on my visage but I have to agree. Duo's never been more beautiful than when he is in his daemon form.

"... I missed you, Duo..."

"I missed you too, Heero. I'm sorry I couldn't always tell you what was going on. But I kept my promise. I always looked for you. I always loved you, no matter the risk." He's giving me a look full of love as he caresses my cheek. I can't help but lean into the soft touch and sigh.

"...also... I wanted to thank you..."

"Why thank me?" He looks so adorable when he's confused.

I take a breath and shyly avoid his eyes as I whisper my answer, "For not giving up on me... especially this lifetime. I know I wasn't the most open of people and I know I was callus and downright insensitive all the time. I... I never meant to put you through that. I know it must have hurt you more than me since you could actually remember me being kind and open in other lives..."

I look up a little as he gives me a warm little chuckle and a tight hug, "I would never give up Hee-chan. I love you too much."

Yes, I think this blush is going to stick with me for the rest of eternity.

And apparently Duo noticed. He lightly touches my cheek, feeling the warmth from the blush, "I love it when you show me you can be touched by mere words."

There had been something I wanted to ask Duo when we were discovered so many years ago. I wanted to ask him the most important question of my life but then things took a turn for the worst and I was never able to ask. At least this way, I know that his feelings are genuine after all he's been through to keep us together. I can do no more than return the gesture, even if it pales in comparison to what he has given me.

"...Duo...I know that this isn't the first time I ask this... but...It's still the first time I ask as myself..." I lower myself on one knee and hold out an outstretched palm, conjuring onto it a platinum band with amethysts and sapphires sprinkled on it, yet retaining a smooth surface, "....Duo... be mine... forever."

I'm rewarded with the brightest smile in all of creation. It's so bright, in fact, that the tears in his eyes do nothing but enhance the effect of it on my system.

"You. . .want me forever?"

I nod, my voice cracking, "... if you'll have me..."

Still with that beautiful smile on his face, Duo falls into my arms, wrapping both his arms and wings around me, "Always..... I didn't fight as hard as I did to have anything less than forever."

I find myself giving Duo a genuine smile, something I haven't done in a long time. I hug Duo back, holding him tight; wishing I never had to let him go again, "I love you Duo... even if I didn't always show it... I've always loved you."

"As I have you, Hee-chan," he brings his lips back to mine, kissing me as we had never kissed before.

I break our kiss and gently take Duo's hand and place the ring on his finger, kissing the cool metal against his warm skin once it is in place.

"...No one will be able to separate us now, my Shinigami."

"...Never again, my Angel Master."


	23. Epilogue and Final Chapter Duo POV

Once a Lifetime

Epilogue; Duo POV; Last Chapter

I watched as Trowa, Quatre, and Wufei soon entered the room. Oh, what a joyous occasion this was. Heero loved me. He wanted me for all time. Now, the curse was lifted and I would be able to love him forever without fear of ever losing him again. After all, who would ever be dumb enough to go up against the grandson of Satan when he was back at full power? Certainly not Wufei, who was silent for once.

I watched as Quatre looked at me with tears in his eyes. "You two look so cute together," Quatre says softly while I lightly snuggle against my love. Wufei rolls his eyes at us.

"Would you two get a room?" he mutters while Trowa smirks, hugging Quatre from behind. I look toward them with a small flush while Quatre leans back against Trowa. Heero fights off his own blush. I watch as Heero then looks around the room.

"I was under the impression that we had gotten a room," Heero remarks to Wufei, gaining a snicker from me.

"Um, hi guys, long time no see." I said and then I moved from Heero's warm embrace and rushed over to my long missing cousin. Smirk on his lips, he let go of Quatre and hugged me once I reached him. I could certainly see why I admired Trowa so much. He was, after all, the closest thing to a brother I had. "I missed you cousin," I whisper softly. He snickers at me.

"I missed you too."

"Oneechan, you took forever," Zechs mutters as he enters the room from the door, still looking as himself but his hair was a softer shade of white, more like Merdiana's. I looked toward him, a small grin on my lips.

"Hey Merdi, I thought you would be around here somewhere. You got a bad end, didn't you, having to be a man this time around and all." Zechs glared at me.

"Shut it, Daemon," he growled. Wufei began to laugh, watching with humor in his eyes as I just smirked toward Zechs.

"Hello Meridiana. I'd appreciate you not speaking to my partner like that," Heero spoke up, glaring at his sister and current enemy in this time. My Hee-chan is very possessive, isn't he?

"Partner? I see no partner. Only an annoying daemon that managed to steal your heart."

"Merdi, behave," Quatre spoke up then. Dear little Q-bean. He always did have a way of playing mediator. "You are the current Angel Master of Water. That isn't how you behave toward our representative from Hell." Heero came over to me then, hugging me from behind and kissing my neck, making me shiver. He then showed off the pair of rings he had conjured up for us, the one on my finger and the one on his own ring finger. I hugged him back awkwardly, knowing a fight was brewing between brother and sister.

"Trowa, how come you never did that for me?" Quatre asked quietly, looking toward him sadly. Whoa, now this was interesting. For as long as those two had been together you would have thought he would have proposed eternity by now.

"Ha. . .now you're stuck with the annoying Daemon, Yuy," Wufei remarked with a smirk. I was glad he was taking it so well.

"Brother, how could you? I didn't want him for a brother!" Zechs complained. I could see Trowa glaring at my Hee-chan for giving Quatre the idea.

"I didn't know you wanted that," Trowa said weakly, obviously at a loss for words.

"I've been with you for hundreds of years and you didn't think I'd want to be with you forever?" Quatre questioned, pouting softly and moving over toward me. I couldn't help playing devil's advocate and moving away from Heero and over to Quatre, giving him a hug.

"Too bad, Meridiana. If you don't like it, you shouldn't have pushed for his death," Heero remarked, sounding peeved at that. I couldn't help but smirk at that. I then patted Quatre's back comfortingly.

"It's all right Q-bean. He loves ya and you know that," I said gently to him. Zechs then began to cry in a very womanly fashion. Oh, he was very much Meridiana at that moment.

"I didn't!!!! It wasn't supposed to happen like that! Shuishi said it wasn't gonna happen like that."

Trowa glared at Heero even more, digging a hand into his pocket and coming up with a black box that he opens slowly. "I was waiting for a better time. . ." he begins, soon holding it out to Quatre. Inside was a pair of onyx rings with turquoise sitting in the middle of the darkness. Quatre sniffed and looked toward him.

"Really? You want me forever?" he asks softly. Heero began feeling bad and went over to his sister, hugging her, trying to be of some comfort.

"I forgive you, Merdi, but Duo is my partner now. Please try to be civil to him." I smiled at Heero's attempt at being brotherly while I then took in the rings, whistling.

"Cuz, that's a nice setting," I remark. Yet I soon realize Quatre and Trowa are too much in a world of their own. I stepped back, watching them with a smile.

"Was there ever a doubt?" Trowa asks. Meanwhile, Zechs returns Heero's hug, sniffling.

"I'll try. I love you, brother. I just want you to be happy. But it was Shuishi's idea to take Duo in the first place."

"No. . .never," Quatre answers, falling into Trowa's arms, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. Trowa then took Quatre's hand and placed the ring on it, kissing the ring once it was in place and sealing the bond between them.

"I really should leave. This is getting mushy," Wufei mumbles, rolling his eyes. I turned my eyes on Zechs, surprised.

"Shuishi asked you to kidnap me Merdi? It seems like she wanted us to win after all. . ." I mutter quietly. Trowa hugs and then kisses Quatre back. Heero looks seriously at his sister/enemy.

"I'm sorry you got pulled into this mess, Merdi, but thank you for keeping Relena off my back for the most part," Heero said, nodding in agreement with me, even though he didn't know why. Zechs nods as well before appearing horrified.

"Oh no. . . I. . .and I. . .Oh Kami-sama," Zechs muttered before crying once again.

"What's wrong?" Heero asks, his expression showing that he wonders what's going on with his sister this time.

"She was kind of hard on Shuishi," Quatre said.

"She even had her crying one time," Wufei added. Zechs cried even harder.

"No!! I didn't mean it," he cried. Heero now appeared as confused as he could be.

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" he asked. Zechs continued crying.

"I was merely worried about my brother and Relena making a pest out of herself," Zechs continued.

"Sounds like Merdi was a little mean to Shuishi when she asked him to kidnap me and now she feels bad about it," I answered, laughing softly. Heero appeared peeved, but calmed down after I made my explanation.

"If I had to go at this without all the information any longer I was about to start blasting feathers off of their wings," Heero grumbled. I laughed once more, placing my arms around my dear Hee-chan.

"Merdi always did have a soft spot for the Angel Master of Death. Don't you remember, Hee-chan?" I asked, laughing softly while Quatre pouted and Wufei glared.

"Now that you mention it, yes she did," Heero answered, nodding a little.

"I still do, but she won't talk to me. I was mean to her," Zechs said softly.

"You could apologize," Heero suggested. Zechs looked as if he had just swallowed something bitter.

"Me? Since when? Besides, I called her cold-hearted." I giggled at that.

"Usually, she'd take that as a compliment, Merdi," I said.

"Exactly why an apology would be effective. You've never done it before," Heero continued.

"But then everyone will expect me to do it every time," Zechs complained.

"What is Shuishi anyway? She's not exactly an angel," Heero remarked.

"She's not a Daemon, either," Trowa said, Quatre and him getting into the conversation. I grinned. I trusted all of them. Therefore, I wanted to tell them the truth.

"She's my sister. Well, half-sister actually," I said, finding several pairs of wide eyes on me.

"No they wouldn't. Who hasn't begged forgiveness of the Angel Master of Death? Other than me that is." I grinned at Hee-chan, he still hadn't let what I said sink in yet. Just then he looks at me, eyes wide as well. "You're sister?" Aw, there it is. He finally let my words sink in I see.

"Oh, but you have, Hee-chan," I say in response to him saying he's never begged her forgiveness.

"Sister?" Quatre questions.

"Nani??" Wufei pops off with.

"When?!" Heero questions of me.

"Why isn't this a surprise?" Zechs mutters. Trowa simply remains silent, his one visible eye wide.

"Sometimes, when death was near to me, you'd ask her not to take me, that you wanted me to remain. You begged her not to take me and to forgive you of asking it of her." Heero blushed softly, hugging me close to him.

"I can't be blamed for that," he whispers softly. I can't help but laugh at everyone's expression. With a small smile, I decide to explain my sister to them.

"Death has always been a mix of Angel and Daemon. My father, who was in charge of bringing about the newest Angel Master of Death, has slept with one other angel before my mother. Thus is how she's my sister," I explain, hugging Heero a little tighter. I still can't believe we've won, that we can be together forever this time. I then answer Heero's remark. "That's true love, but you still did it."

"How sweet," Quatre said softly. He then looked toward Trowa. "That means she's your cousin as well, doesn't it Trowa?"

"Geez, that family is getting more insane by the minute," Wufei growled.

"Does this mean one way or another I'm gonna have to deal with Duo's family?" Zechs questioned. I smirk while Trowa grins at Wufei.

"That means I'm under her protection too," Trowa said.

"Apparently so," Heero answers Zechs.

"What!!!!!!! Injustice!!" Wufei grumbled. I laughed at that. Poor Wufei also cared about Shuishi. Which one would win her was another story.

"Wait, does this mean that Duo is the next Angel Master of Death?" Heero asked suddenly. I laughed, shaking my head and pulling him closer.

"Nope, I've got a bigger path. I'm to be the next Lord of Hell." Wufei's eyes widen.

"Oh, now we really will know Hell on Earth," he said.

"I kind of figured as much," Quatre said lightly. Trowa simply grinned at Wufei, taunting him to pick on him.

"What!!?? I refuse!!" Zechs yelled.

"You can't refuse when the choice isn't yours," Heero told him.

"Knock that grin off your lips, Daemon brat!" Wufei snarled, glaring at the uni-banged boy.

"I have a very powerful husband," Heero said softly, hugging me tighter.

"But can you handle being with me like that Hee-chan?" I ask, serious.

"Sure," Trowa says, shrugging before pulling Quatre into his arms and kissing him fully on the lips. Quatre kisses him back happily.

"Even Kami-sama can't control my power and granddad seems to think I'll be the most powerful yet. . ." I trail off as I hear the sweetest words in my life fall from Heero's lips.

"Of course I can handle it," he says, snuggling against me. I grin, snuggling back. Zechs and Wufei are now at each other's throats, seeing as Zechs soon realizes that I'm no longer in a low enough position to pick fights with. Yet I realize Trowa is becoming too smug and I soon feel the need to let my Daemon side show. I move away from Heero a little bit, although not letting his hands move away from me.

"Ne, Trowa, I think you should be under Quatre's protection. He's your partner now, after all. Perhaps you two can work things out with Wufei," I say with a smirk. Trowa's content grin slips from his face while Wufei suddenly stops with Zechs and looks toward Trowa, a grin of triumph on his lips.

"You were saying, Daemon brat?" Wufei questioned, fire burning slowly around his hand. Quatre giggled softly and looked at Trowa.

"You really should learn to pick your fights better," he tells his partner in a loving tone. "I don't have the right element to control him."

"But Shuishi is still protecting me," Trowa got out past the lump I could hear in his voice.

"Not really, cousin," Shuishi commented, appearing in the room. "I've always believed one should be able to take care of themselves. Don't worry though, you're death isn't to be at his hands," Shuishi added, a wicked Duo-like smirk on her lips. I placed an arm around my sister while Trowa seemed at a loss for words, let alone help.

"Will no one help me?" he questioned, his voice shaking. I knew Wufei was only teasing him. His fire was very low and he was very much in control of it. Apparently, even he wasn't as upset with my cousin as we all believed he was.

"Say your prayers, Daemon, for I've come to collect on every insult dealt my way! Starting with the one you gave me the first time we met." I fell over laughing then, unable to keep my serious look any longer. Heero was soon laughing with me, as well as everyone else. Trowa cried out in apology while Quatre took him into his arms. Wufei soon was grinning and laughing as well. Once Trowa realized it was all an act he tried to appear indignant, yet was soon as full of laughter as the rest of us. That day I realized that I had everything I could ever want or need. I had great friends, dear family, and the sweetest gift anyone could ever have. The gift of a love that would last for all of eternity. What more could I ask for? Well. . .there was some things I could ask for, but why spoil things? After all, wanting too much can always lead one down a path you could never return from, and well, I refused to have to risk everything I've gained. I loved my Angel Master and I was gonna keep him, come Hell or high water.

OWARI

Or is it?

Nuriko: :waves hands in the air: All right everyone, that's a wrap. Thank you very much for all your help!

Duo: :sighs tiredly: Aw, does this mean I can take off these wings now?

Heero: You look good in them.

Duo: :flushes: Oh, then, can I keep them?

Jess: Sorry Duo, their part of the props, we can't afford them.

Wufei: Baka, why in the world would you want to keep them?

Trowa: :removes his costume: At least it's over.

Quatre: Providing Nuriko and Jess don't decide to write an Epilogue.

Zechs: :glares at both women: How could you make me cry like a woman? Maxwell is so much better suited to be a woman than I am!

Duo: Hey, don't tell them that!! :is still glad Angelic Requiem was lost so Nuriko can't keep him as a woman: Besides, I did have to play a woman several times.

Heero: As did I, Zechs.

Zechs: But did you have to cry as a woman while really a guy? :is met by total silence: I rest my case.

Nuriko: Gomen nasai, Zechs. Please forgive me. :bows with a sad expression on her face:

Zechs: :quickly shakes his head: No need for it, Nuriko. I'd gladly do it again. You're stories are tearjerkers. I'm sorry for complaining.

Nuriko: :watches Zechs walk off, a smile on her lips:

Jess: :is in pure amazement: How did you manage that?

Nuriko: :grins: You have to know how to handle the pretty boys, Jess. It's all in the skills.

Duo: It's also just a well-known fact that you hold all of our love lives in your pretty little hands.

Nuriko: Do I? I never thought of it like that. :smirks:

Jess: You really need to help me learn how to deal with them. I'd like to have them all so accommodating as they are now.

Nuriko: I'll teach you how. Just be able to write great lemon scenes for every one of them and they will always come back, even if the role is punishment in their eyes.

Jess: Whoa, that's all. I've always wondered why Duo comes back for more.

Nuriko: :grins: That's the key. Once you have Duo and Quatre, the rest follow.

Duo: Hey, I hear things sounding a little worry some for me.

Nuriko: Not at all, Duo. I was actually thinking about having you in the role of a prince for our next joint-fic. What do you think Jess?

Jess: I think the ideas you've run past me have merit. I'd really love to see how things work out, ne Heero?

Heero: Hn, just as long as I am not playing a woman this time.

Nuriko: Nope. You are certainly not a woman this time.

Duo: :raises an eyebrow: Then what will you be playing?

Heero: No Relena relationships either.

Relena: Hey, I redeemed myself in the end.

Nuriko: I know, Relena. Yet I was thinking a Duo and Heero fic, as usual. Seeing as Heero is Jess's muse and Duo is mine.

Jess: Very true. We are women versions of them, after all.

Nuriko: Very, very true.

Duo/Heero: Now is the time to be afraid.

Quatre/Trowa: Very afraid.

Wufei: What should we expect from onna's?

Nuriko: Do we have Wufei's part set?

Jess: :nods: Of course.

Nuriko: :smirks: Good.

Nuriko/Jess: Until next fan-fic. Ja mata ne.


End file.
